Recycling of carbon fibers from carbon fiber reinforced polymer using electrochemical method

In this research, we proposed an electrochemical method for the recycling of carbon fibers from carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). Experiments were designed with different solution concentrations (3%, 10%, and 20% NaCl) and various levels of applied current (4 mA, 10 mA, 20 mA, and 25 mA) so as to identify the significant parameters that affect carbon fiber recycling efficiency. The recycled carbon fibers were characterized by using the single fiber tensile strength test, SEM, XRD, and XPS techniques. Test results showed that the maximum tensile strength of the reclaimed carbon fibers was 80% of the virgin carbon fibers (VCF). The increase in electrolyte concentration did not improve the recycling efficiency but resulted in severe oxidation and chlorination on the surface of recycled carbon fibers. From the experimental results, it can be concluded that the recycling of carbon fibers with electrochemical method is simple, effective, and economical.     

Sulfur‐Grafted Hollow Carbon Spheres for Potassium‐Ion Battery Anodes

Sulfur‐rich carbons are minimally explored for potassium‐ion batteries (KIBs). Here, a large amount of S (38 wt%) is chemically incorporated into a carbon host, creating sulfur‐grafted hollow carbon spheres (SHCS) for KIB anodes. The SHCS architecture provides a combination of nanoscale (≈40 nm) diffusion distances and C? S chemical bonding to minimize cycling capacity decay and Coulombic efficiency (CE) loss. The SHCS exhibit a reversible capacity of 581 mAh g^?1 (at 0.025 A g^?1), which is the highest reversible capacity reported for any carbon‐based KIB anode. Electrochemical analysis of S‐free carbon spheres baseline demonstrates that both the carbon matrix and the sulfur species are highly electrochemically active. SHCS also show excellent rate capability, achieving 202, 160, and 110 mAh g^?1 at 1.5, 3, and 5 A g^?1, respectively. The electrode maintains 93% of the capacity from the 5th to 1000th cycle at 3 A g^?1, with steady‐state CE being near 100%. Raman analysis indicates reversible breakage of C? S and S? S bonds upon potassiation to 0.01 V versus K/K⁺. The galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) analysis provides voltage‐dependent K⁺ diffusion coefficients that range from 10^?10 to 10^?12 cm² s^?1 upon potassiation and depotassiation, with approximately five times higher coefficient for the former.     

Agglomerates of amorphous carbon nanoparticles synthesized by a solution-phase method

A novel solution-phase method is developed for preparation of agglomerates of amorphous carbon nanoparticles under ambient atmosphere by the reaction of ferrocene and ammonium chloride in diglycol at 200 °C. Samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms. It is found that the nanoparticles are complete amorphous and agglomerate together due to the strong surface tension. The agglomerates of amorphous carbon nanoparticles with a diameter of 20-50 nm have a wide size distribution of mesopores with a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 75.2 m² g^− 1. It is proposed that the dissolved reactants uniformly dispersing in the solutions could react at a molecular level to form uniform carbon nanoparticles.     

Synthesis of carbon micro-rods via a solvothermal route

Novel carbon micro-rods with regular and uniform shape have been synthesized in high yield by magnesium acetate and n-butyl alcohol as the precursors via a solvothermal route. The resulting products were characterized by combined techniques including X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Raman spectroscopy. The carbon micro-rods exhibit diameters ranging from 500 nm to 1 μm and up to 5-10 μm in length. We have found that the optimal reaction conditions for the growth of the carbon micro-rods were 500 °C and 12 h.     

催化剂对乙醇催化燃烧法制备碳纳米纤维的影响

分别以硝酸铁、硝酸钴、硝酸镍以及氯化铁、氯化钴、氯化镍作为催化剂先体，利用乙醇催化燃烧法制备了碳纳米纤维。利用扫描电子显微术、透射电子显微术和X射线能量分散谱术对样品进行了表征。讨论了不同种类的催化剂先体对产物形貌和生长机制的影响。     

Corrosion inhibition of carbon steel in various water types by zinc gluconate

The effect of zinc gluconate on the corrosion inhibition of carbon steel DIN RSt 37‐2 in various water types has been evaluated using Tafel polarization and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Experiments were performed using 6 types of water, namely, soft tap water from Dubrovnik region, hard tap water from Zagreb region, 3.5% sodium chloride solution, sea water from Dubrovnik region, biologically inert sea water from Dubrovnik region and demineralized water. The concentration of zinc gluconate varied from 0.1 to 3 gl^–1. The results show that substantial corrosion inhibition using zinc gluconate can be obtained with low concentrations in tap waters along with demineralized water and with moderate concentrations in 3.5% sodium chloride solution and sea waters. EDX analysis confirmed the presence of zinc ions which are incorporated in the protective layer of carbon steel specimen. The corrosion inhibition is predominately obtained by anodic mechanism.     

Physico-chemical studies of amorphous carbon nanotubes synthesized at low temperature

This work provides better understanding on the nature of amorphous carbon nanotubes, which are synthesized via a simple chemical route. Amorphous carbon nanotubes (α-CNTs) are successfully synthesized by heating a mixture of ferrocene and ammonium chloride at temperature as low as 200 °C and are treated with hydrochloric acid. Transmission and field emission scanning electron microscopy techniques are performed to examine the morphology and dimension of the samples. X-ray diffraction tests confirm the amorphous structure of the nanotubes. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman studies indicate that the treated α-CNTs consist of many defective walls and are more amorphous compared with the untreated α-CNTs. Ultraviolet–visible absorption studies reveal that the untreated and treated α-CNTs exhibit plasmon absorbance with high bandgaps of 4 eV and 4.35 eV, respectively.     

Surface modification of carbon fibers with nitric acid solutions

We have studied the surface modification of carbonized carbon fibers with nitric acid solutions, compared the effects of 60 and 98% HNO₃, and examined the influence of the anodic polarization of the fiber for surface functionalization. Unmodified and surface-modified carbon fibers have been characterized by a variety of physicochemical techniques.     

Synthesis of multiwalled carbon nanotubes by high-temperature vacuum annealing of amorphous carbon

Vacuum annealing of a mixture of amorphous carbon and cobalt nanoparticles supported on microporous zeolite at high-temperature results in the formation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes which are essentially filled with metal nanoparticles or nanowires as observed by transmission electron microscopy. The electronic properties of nanotubes by variable temperature ESR techniques shows that g values show little change with temperature from 77 to 327 K but the line width (ΔH_pp) of the ESR signal for nanotubes synthesized from amorphous carbon increases from 7.9 G at 77 K to 9.5 G at 327 K.     

Use of single wall carbon nanohorns in polymeric electrolyte fuel cells

Single wall carbon nanohorns (SWNH), produced by AC arc discharge in air, were used as Pt and PtRu supports in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). These electrocatalysts were compared with equivalent electrocatalysts supported on commercial carbon back. The SWNH were characterized by differential thermal analysis (DTA), TEM, SEM, and XRD. The produced SWNH were 84.5 wt% pure, containing 3 wt% of amorphous carbon and 12.5 wt% of graphitic carbon. SWNH were used as electrocatalyst supports and tested in the electrodes of two types of polymer electrolyte fuel cells: H₂-fed PEMFC and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). The electrocatalyst nanoparticles anchored on both carbon supports were ca. 2.5 nm in diameter obtained by employing ethylene glycol as the reducing agent. The use of SWNH showed catalytic activities 60% higher than using carbon black as the electrocatalyst support in both types of fuel cells.     

以超临界和亚临界水活化掺金属化合物的酚醛树脂制备球形活性炭(英文)

以掺稀土金属化合物氯化铈的酚醛树脂为原料,采用超临界和亚临界水活化制备了具有较好中孔结构和机械强度的球形活性炭。通过77K氮气吸附对所制球形活性炭进行表征,并研究不同活化方法、活化条件对其孔隙结构的影响。结果表明:氯化铈具有催化作用,在超临界水环境下促进了孔结构的发展,优势中孔分布于4nm和7nm;而活化方法和活化压力对孔结构的影响较小。     

Study on silicon carbide nanowires produced from carbon blacks and structure of carbon blacks

Silicon carbide nanowires were produced from carbon blacks at 1473 K and their microstructure was characterized by TEM, X-ray diffraction, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. Nanowires of uniform diameters, the smallest averaging 10 nm, and narrow size distribution were obtained from graphitized carbon blacks, and their morphology depends on the properties of carbon black pecursors. High concentration of stacking faults and twins was detected. In addition to silicon carbide nanowires, a silicon carbide layer, about 20 nm thick, was formed on the surface of carbon black aggregates. The interior of the aggregates did not react and analysis of the data showed that it is composed of a mixture of amorphous carbon and small graphitic crystallites. The small lateral sizes of these crystallites remain unchanged during the graphitization process which is limited to the outer layer of the aggregates.     

Compressibility of carbon woven fabrics with carbon nanotubes/nanofibres grown on the fibres

Growth of carbon nanotubes (CNT) or carbon nano-fibres (CNF) on carbon fibrous substrates is a way to increase the fracture toughness of fibre reinforced composites (FRC), with encouraging results reported in the recent years. If these nano-engineered FRC (nFRC) are destined to leave laboratories and enter industrial-scale production, a question of adapting the existing composite manufacturing methods will arise. The paper studies compressibility of woven carbon fibre performs (two types of fabrics) with CNT/CNF grown on the fibres using the CVD method. The results include pressure vs thickness and pressure vs fibre volume fraction diagrams for one and four layers of the fabric. Morphology of the nFRC is studied with SEM. It is shown that the pressure needed to achieve the target fibre volume fraction of the preform increases drastically (for example, from 0.05 MPa to more than 0.5 MPa for a fibre volume fraction of 52%) when CNT/CNF are grown on it. No change in nesting of the fabric plies is noticed. The poor compressibility can lower the achievable fibre volume fraction in composite for economical vacuum assisted light-RTM techniques and increase the pressure requirements in autoclave processing.     

Single-wall carbon nanotubes-chitosan nanocomposites: Surface wettability,mechanical and thermal properties

Functionalized single-wall carbon nanotubes (f-SWCN) are dispersed in chitosan films by self-assembly of both components in aqueous media. This carbon form is a promising nanofiller to achieve nanocomposites with refined thermal, mechanical and surface features. In this study, we investigated the influence of functionalized single-wall carbon nanotubes concentration on the resulting properties of the nanocomposites structures. Functionalized single-wall carbon nanotubes are dispersed on a molecular scale in the polymeric matrix due to electrostatic interactions between both components. The thermal and mechanical properties have been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical analysis, respectively, while their wettability is studied by water contact angle measurements. Mechanical resistance of the films is improved up to 18 % with the addition of functionalized single-wall carbon nanotubes, but the thermal stability is expressively reduced. A decrease in the surface hydrophobicity of 25 % is obtained after the inclusion of the nanofiller.     

Preparation of high-performance carbon fibres from PAN fibres modified with cobaltous chloride

Preparations of high-performance carbon fibres have been tested and the results are reported in this article. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibres modified with cobaltous chloride have increased the crystal size, the crystallinity and the orientation, and also improved the tensile strength by about 15–40% and the modulus by about 10–20% of the resulting carbon fibres, which were carbonized at 1300 °C. The oxygen content, theAI value and the density for the modified PAN fibres are smaller than those for unmodified PAN fibres. Because the formation of the ladder polymer in the modified PAN fibres is slow and gradual during the stabilization process, the resulting carbon fibres have a better modulus than carbon fibres developed from unmodified PAN fibres. The activation energy of cyclization,E _a, is increased to 180.0 from 156.6 kJ mol^–1 after the modification process. The modified PAN fibres do not reduce the time required for stabilization. The carbon fibres developed from the modified PAN fibres have a greater stacking size,L _c, than those developed from unmodified PAN fibres. A higher stacking size, and therefore a higher number of crystalline carbon basal planes, is one of the reasons for the improved modulus of the carbon fibres.     

Electrodeposited carbon nanotube thin films

A successful attempt to grow carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by electrodeposition technique for the first time is reported here. Carbon nanotubes were grown on Si (001) substrate using acetonitrile (1% v/v) and water as electrolyte at an applied d.c. potential ∼20 V. The films were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Raman, optical absorbance, Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy (FTIR) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) measurements. The effect of magnetic field on the growth of nanotubes was studied critically. It was found that the presence of magnetic field during electro-deposition played a crucial role on the growth of carbon nanotubes and hence the electronic properties. Photoluminescence (PL) studies indicated band edge luminescence ∼0.72-0.83 eV. Field emission studies indicated lower turn-on voltage and higher current density for films deposited with magnetic field.     

Detonation-assisted self-assembly synthesis of carbon onions using organics with long carbon chain

The detonation of mixtures of organics with long carbon chains and explosives has been found to yield carbon onions without use of any catalyst. Octadecanoic acid, hexadecylic acid, behenic acid and CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) have been used as raw materials. The recovered products were characterized using various techniques such as scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The prepared carbon onions consist of concentric-shell graphitic layers with a narrow size distribution of 60 to 70 nm, which aggregated to form a chain-like structure. Formation mechanism of the carbon onions was proposed as that the organics with long chains broke their functional groups and self-assembled into carbon onions due to low free energy.     

Preparation of carbon sphere from corn starch by a simple method

Carbon spheres with a regular and perfect shape was successfully synthesized from corn starch by a two stage process: oxidation and carbonization. In this process, oxidation treatment was the main step; the optimal oxidation temperature was 210 °C. The resulting products were characterized by using combined techniques including X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results showed that the products could keep the original shape of corn starch perfectly, and the diameters of carbon spheres ranged from 5 to 25 μm. It showed characteristic structure of non-graphitizing carbons heated at high temperatures. The preparation mechanism has also been discussed.     

Bulk scale production of carbon nanofibers in an economical way

An economical route for the scalable production of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) on a sodium chloride support has been developed. CNFs have been synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method by using metal formate as catalyst precursors at 680°C. Products were characterized by SEM, TEM, Raman spectroscopy and XRD method. By thermal analysis, the purity of the as grown products and purified products were determined. This method avoids calcination and reduction process which was employed in commercial catalysts such as metal oxide or nitrate. The problems such as detrimental effect, environmental and even cost have been overcome by using sodium chloride as support. The yield of CNFs up to 7800 wt.% relative to the nickel catalyst has been achieved in the growth time of 15 min. The advantage of this synthesis technique is the simplicity and use of easily available low cost precursors.     

Assembly of fullerenol particles on carbon nanotubes through poly (acryloyl chloride)

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/fullerenol composites were prepared through a facile method. Poly (acryloyl chloride) (PACl) was first grafted onto oxidized MWCNTs through the reaction between the acyl chloride groups of PACl with the hydroxyl groups on the surface of MWCNTs. The PACl with multiple acyl chloride groups provided more active points for further reactions. Subsequently, the remaining acyl chloride groups of PACl were allowed to react with the hydroxyl groups of fullerenols leading to the covalent attachment of the latter onto the grafted PACl chain. The MWCNTs/fullerenol composites thus obtained were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA).