Effects of hydrogen on carbon nanotube formation in CH4/H2 plasmas

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized using CH₄/H₂ plasmas and plasmas simulated using a one-dimensional fluid model. The thinnest and longest CNTs with the highest number density were obtained using CH₄/H₂ = 27/3 sccm at 10 Torr. These conditions allowed CNTs to grow for 90 min without any meaningful loss of catalyst activity. However, an excess H₂ supply to the CH₄/H₂ mixture plasma made the diameter distribution of the CNTs wider and the yield lower. Hydrogen concentration is considered to affect catalyst particle size and activity during the time interval before starting CNT growth (=incubation period). With CH₄/H₂ = 27/3 sccm for a growth time of 10 min efficient CNT growth was achieved because the amount of carbon atoms in the CNTs and that calculated from simulation showed good agreement. The effect of hydrogen etching on CNTs was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy by observing CNTs treated by H₂ plasma after CNT growth. It was confirmed that (a) multi-walled CNTs were not etched by the H₂ plasma, (b) the C 1s XPS spectra of the CNTs showed no chemical shift after the treatment, and (c) C-H bonds were produced in CNTs during their growth.     

Growth of high-quality carbon nanotubes on free-standing diamond substrates

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were grown on diamond-coated Si substrates and free-standing diamond wafers to develop efficient thermal interface materials for thermal management applications. High-quality, translucent, free-standing diamond substrates were processed in a 5 kW microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system using CH₄ as precursor. Ni and Ni-9%W-1.5%Fe catalyst islands were deposited to nucleate CNTs directly onto the diamond substrates. Randomly-oriented multi-walled CNTs forming a mat of ∼5 μm thickness and consisting of ∼20 nm diameter tubes were observed to grow in a thermal CVD system using C₂H₂ as precursor. Transmission electron microscopy and Raman analyses confirmed the presence of high-quality CNTs on diamond showing a D/G peak ratio of 0.2-0.3 in Raman spectra.     

The effect of catalyst calcination temperature on the diameter of carbon nanotubes synthesized by the decomposition of methane

The effect of catalyst calcination temperature on the uniformity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) diameter synthesized by the decomposition of methane was studied. The catalysts used were CoO-MoO/Al₂O₃ without prior reduction in hydrogen. The results show that the catalyst calcination temperature greatly affects the uniformity of the diameter. The CNTs obtained from CoO-MoO/Al₂O₃ catalysts, calcined at 300 °C, 450 °C, 600 °C, and 700 °C had diameters of 13.4 ± 8.4, 12.6 ± 5.1, 10.7 ± 3.2, and 9.0 ± 1.4 nm, respectively, showing that an increase in catalyst calcination temperature produces a smaller diameter and narrower diameter distribution. The catalyst calcined at 750 °C was inactive in methane decomposition. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies showed that CNTs grown on the catalyst calcined at 700 °C were of uniform diameter and formed a dense interwoven covering. High-resolution TEM shows that these CNTs had walls of highly graphitized parallel graphenes.     

Formation of carbon nanotubes through ethylene decomposition over supported Pt catalysts and silica-coated Pt catalysts

Ethylene decomposition was performed over supported Pt catalysts to fabricate composites of Pt metal nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). All supported Pt catalysts (Pt/carbon black, Pt/CNT, Pt/MgO, Pt/Al₂O₃ and Pt/SiO₂) showed catalytic activity for ethylene decomposition at 973 K to form CNTs. Pt metal particles were found at tips of CNTs. These results indicate that Pt metal particles have catalytic activity for growth of CNTs through hydrocarbon decomposition. A broad range (5-50 nm) of CNT diameters were formed from the use of supported Pt metal catalysts although Pt metal particles in the catalysts before ethylene decomposition were relatively uniform in size (2-5 nm). These results imply that Pt metal particles in the catalysts aggregated during ethylene decomposition at 973 K. Aggregation of Pt metal particles in catalysts during ethylene decomposition could be suppressed by covering catalysts with silica layers that were a few nanometers thick. Silica-coated Pt catalysts showed high activity for ethylene decomposition to form CNTs with uniform diameters (8-10 nm) despite the uniform coverage of Pt metal particles with silica layers.     

Kinetic study of carbon nanotube synthesis over Mo/Co/MgO catalysts

The kinetics of carbon nanotube (CNT) synthesis by decomposition of CH₄ over Mo/Co/MgO and Co/MgO catalysts was studied to clarify the role of catalyst component. In the absence of the Mo component, Co/MgO catalysts are active in the synthesis of thick CNT (outer diameter of 7-27 nm) at lower reaction temperatures, 823-923 K, but no CNTs of thin outer diameter are produced. Co/MgO catalysts are significantly deactivated by carbon deposition at temperatures above 923 K. For Mo-including catalysts (Mo/Co/MgO), thin CNT (2-5 walls) formation starts at above 1000 K without deactivation. The significant effects of the addition of Mo are ascribed to the reduction in catalytic activity for dissociation of CH₄, as well as to the formation of Mo₂C during CNT synthesis at high temperatures. On both Co/MgO and Mo/Co/MgO catalysts, the rate of CNT synthesis is proportional to the CH₄ pressure, indicating that the dissociation of CH₄ is the rate-determining step for a catalyst working without deactivation. The deactivation of catalysts by carbon deposition takes place kinetically when the formation rate of the graphene network is smaller than the carbon deposition rate by decomposition of CH₄.     

Synthesis of carbon nanotubes over gold nanoparticle supported catalysts

The synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through the catalytic decomposition of acetylene was carried out over gold nanoparticles supported on SiO₂-Al₂O₃. Monodispersed gold nanoparticles with 1.3-1.8 nm in diameter were prepared by the liquid-phase reduction method with dodecanethiol as protective agent. The carbon products formed after acetylene decomposition consist of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with layered graphene sheets, carbon nanofilaments (CNFs), and carbon nanoparticles encapsulating gold particles. The observed CNTs have outer diameters of 13-25 nm under 850 °C. The influence of several reaction parameters, such as kind of carriers, reaction temperature, gas flow rate, was investigated to search for optimum reaction conditions. The CNTs were observed at a relatively low temperature (550 °C). The silica-alumina carrier showed higher activity for the formation of CNTs than others used in the screening test. With increasing temperature, the CNTs showed cured structures having thick diameters and inside compartments. When Au content on the support was over 5 wt.%, the gold nanoparticles coagulated to form large ones >20 nm in diameter and became encapsulated with graphene layers after decomposition of acetylene.     

Efficient growth of MWCNTs from decomposition of liquefied petroleum gas on a NixMg1−xO catalyst

With a solid-solution type of Ni_xMg_1−xO as catalyst, low-cost and easy-handling LPG was used as the carbon-source to efficiently synthesize CNTs of high purity. The prepared CNTs were “Herringbone-type” MWCNTs, with the outer diameters in the range of 10–40 nm and the inner diameters of 3–7 nm. The CNTs were almost the only species in the purified products. The structures of the nanocarbon were predominantly graphite-like, and the content of amorphous carbon was considerably low (6% estimated). The present study provides an alternative route to efficiently synthesize Herringbone-type CNTs of high purity without using CH₄.     

Functionalization of carbon nanotubes by an effective intermittent microwave heating-assisted HF/H2O2 treatment for electrocatalyst support of fuel cells

A method is developed to effectively functionalize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by intermittent microwave heating (IMH)-assisted HF/H₂O₂ solution treatment. CNTs functionalized by IMH-assisted HF/H₂O₂ solution treatment (CNTs-HF/H₂O₂) are characterized by high oxygen-containing groups and high graphitization degree, as compared with CNTs treated by HF (CNTs-HF) or by IMH-assisted H₂O₂ solution treatment without prior HF treatment (CNTs-H₂O₂). Pt supported on CNTs-HF/H₂O₂ (Pt/CNTs-HF/H₂O₂) has an average particle size of 2.8 nm, smaller than 2.9 nm for Pt supported on CNTs-HF, 3.3 nm for Pt supported on CNTs-H₂O₂ and 4.0 nm for Pt supported on pristine CNTs. Pt/CNTs-HF/H₂O₂ electrocatalysts display a high electrochemical surface area, high Pt utilization efficiency, a superior electrocatalytic and mass activity for the O₂ reduction reaction (ORR) with respect to other catalyst samples in the present study. The results demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the IMH-assisted HF/H₂O₂ solution methods for the functionalization of CNTs, and the method could be easily scaled-up to treat CNTs in large quantities.     

Growth evolution of rapid grown aligned carbon nanotube forests without water vapor on Fe/Al2O3/SiO2/Si substrate

This paper presents the growth evolutions in terms of the structure, growth direction and density of rapid grown carbon nanotube (CNT) forests observed by scanning and transmission electron microcopies (SEM/TEM). A thermal CVD system at around 700 °C was used with a catalyst of Fe films deposited on thin alumina (Al₂O₃) supporting layers, a very fast raising time to the growth temperature below 25 °C/s, and a carbon source gas of acetylene diluted with hydrogen and nitrogen without water vapor. Activity of Fe catalyst nanoparticles was maintained for 5 min during CVD process, and it results in CNT forests with heights up to 0.6 mm. SEM images suggest that the disorder in CNT alignment at the initial stage of CNTs plays a critical role in the formation of continuous CNT growth. Also, the prolonged heating process leads to increased disorder in CNT alignment that may be due to the oxidation process occurring at the Fe nanoparticles. TEM images revealed that both double- and few-walled CNTs with diameters of 5-7 nm were obtained and the CNT density was controlled by thickness of Fe catalytic layer. The number of experiments at the same conditions showed a very good repeatability and reproducibility of rapid grown CNT forests.     

Electroreduction of oxygen on Pt nanoparticle/carbon nanotube nanocomposites in acid and alkaline solutions

The kinetics of O₂ reduction on novel electrocatalyst materials deposited on carbon substrates were studied in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and in 0.1 M NaOH solutions using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) technique. Pt nanoparticles (PtNP) supported on single-walled (PtNP/SWCNT) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PtNP/MWCNT) were prepared using two different synthetic routes. Before use, the CNTs were cleaned to minimize the presence of metal impurities coming from the catalyst used in the synthesis of this material, which can interfere in the electrochemical response of the supported Pt nanoparticles. The composite catalyst samples were characterised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showing a good dispersion of the particles at the surface of the carbon support and an average Pt particle size of 2.4 ± 0.7 nm in the case of Pt/CNTs prepared in the presence of citrate and of 3.8 ± 1.1 nm for Pt/CNTs prepared in microemulsion. The values of specific activity (SA) and other kinetic parameters were determined from the Tafel plots taking into account the real electroactive area of each electrode. The electrodes exhibited a relatively high electrocatalytic activity for the four-electron oxygen reduction reaction to water.     

Characterization and electrocatalytic properties of PtRu/C catalysts prepared by impregnation-reduction method using Nd2O3 as dispersing reagent

A simple impregnation-reduction method introducing Nd₂O₃ as dispersing reagent has been used to synthesize PtRu/C catalysts with uniform Pt-Ru spherical nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis have been used to characterize the composition, particle size and crystallinity of the catalysts. Well-dispersed catalysts with average particle size about 2 nm are achieved. The electrochemically active surface area of the different PtRu/C catalysts is determined by the CO_ad-stripping voltammetry experiment. The electrocatalytic activities of these catalysts towards methanol electrooxidation are investigated by cyclic voltammetry measurements and ac impedance spectroscopy. The in-house prepared PtRu/C catalyst (PtRu/C-03) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ + 1.0 M CH₃OH at 30 °C display a higher catalytic activity and lower charge-transfer resistance (R_t) than that of the standard PtRu/C catalyst (PtRu/C-C). It is mainly due to enhanced electrochemically active specific surface, higher alloying extent of Ru and the abundant Pt⁰ and Ru oxides on the surface of the PtRu/C catalyst.     

Field emission properties of carbon nanotubes synthesized by capillary type atmospheric pressure plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at low temperature

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were grown using a modified atmospheric pressure plasma with NH₃(210 sccm)/N₂(100 sccm)/C₂H₂(150 sccm)/He(8 slm) at low substrate temperatures (?500 °C) and their physical and electrical characteristics were investigated as the application to field emission devices. The grown CNTs were multi-wall CNTs (at 450 °C, 15-25 layers of carbon sheets, inner diameter: 10-15 nm, outer diameter: 30-50 nm) and the increase of substrate temperature increased the CNT length and decreased the CNT diameter. The length and diameter of the CNTs grown for 8 min at 500 °C were 8 μm and 40 ± 5 nm, respectively. Also, the defects in the grown CNTs were also decreased with increasing the substrate temperature (The ratio of defect to graphite (I_D/I_G) measured by FT-Raman at 500 °C was 0.882). The turn-on electric field of the CNTs grown at 450 °C was 2.6 V/μm and the electric field at 1 mA/cm² was 3.5 V/μm.     

Preparation of supported PtRu/C electrocatalyst for direct methanol fuel cells

In this work, high-surface supported PtRu/C were prepared with Ru(NO)(NO₃)₃ and [Pt(H₂NCH₂CH₂NH₂)₂]Cl₂ as the precursors and hydrogen as a reducing agent. XRD and TEM analyses showed that the PtRu/C catalysts with different loadings possessed small and homogeneous metal particles. Even at high metal loading (40 wt.% Pt, 20 wt.% Ru) the mean metal particle size is less than 4 nm. Meanwhile, the calculated Pt crystalline lattice parameter and Pt (2 2 0) peak position indicated that the geometric structure of Pt was modified by Ru atoms. Among the prepared catalysts, the lattice parameter of 40-20 wt.% PtRu/C contract most. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), CO stripping and single direct methanol fuel cell tests jointly suggested that the 40-20 wt.% PtRu/C catalyst has the highest electrochemical activity for methanol oxidation.     

Intermetallic catalyst for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) growth by thermal chemical vapor deposition method

The methane conversion and carbon yield of the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reaction suggests that the optimum reaction conditions of the formation of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) can be obtained by using a 50 mg of nano-MgNi alloy under pyrolysis of the pure CH₄ gas with the flow rate about 100-120 cm³/min at 650 °C for 30 min. Raman results indicate the CNTs are in multi-wall structure, since no single-wall characteristic features appearing in the 200-400 cm⁻¹ region. This is consistent with those of the XRD and TGA findings. Under selected condition, the carbon yield and the CNTs purity can reach up to 1231% and 92% in the presence of hydrogen. It is presumable that the presence of hydrogen in the pyrolysis of CH₄ prevents the deactivation of catalysts and enhances the graphitization degree of CNTs. In addition, the presence of Mg metal in the alloy can prevent the aggregation of the Ni metal and forms the active Mg₂Ni phase to enhance the CH₄ pyrolysis to form CNTs. After the purification procedures with both air oxidation at 550 °C and HCl treatments, the final purified yield and purity of CNT reach to 73.2% and (98.04 ± 0.2)% respectively.     

Deep desulfurization of fuels catalyzed by surfactant-type decatungstates using H2O2 as oxidant

Oxidation of dibenzothiphene (DBT) in model oil with H₂O₂ using surfactant-type decatungstates Q₄W₁₀O₃₂ (Q = (CH₃)₃NC₁₆H₃₃, (CH₃)₃NC₁₄H₂₉, (CH₃)₃NC₁₂H₂₅ and (CH₃)₃NC₁₀H₂₁) as catalysts was studied. The surfactant-type decatungstates were synthesized and characterized. The suitable reaction condition of deep desulfurization was suggested: n(DBT):n(catalyst):n(H₂O₂) = 1:0.01:3, 60 °C for 0.5 h, under which the DBT conversion can reach 99.6% with [(CH₃)₃NC₁₆H₃₃]₄W₁₀O₃₂ as catalyst. The length of carbon chains of quaternary ammonium cations played a vital role in the catalytic activity of surfactant-type decatungstates, that is, the longer the carbon chain of quaternary ammonium cation of a catalyst was, the better the activity of this catalyst showed. [(CH₃)₃NC₁₆H₃₃]₄W₁₀O₃₂ exhibited the best catalytic performance and can be recycled for six times without significant decrease in catalytic activity. Using benzothiphene (BT) and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiphene (4,6-DMDBT) as substrates in model oil, surfactant-type decatungstates also showed high catalytic activity. During desulfurization process, BT conversion can reach 99.6% at 3.25 h, while 99.4% of 4,6-DMDBT conversion reached at 1.25 h, with the temperature of 60 °C under atmospheric pressure. The sulfone can be separated from the oil using N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as an extractant, and the sulfur content can be lowered from 1000 to 4 ppm. For real diesel, the sulfur removal can reach 93.5% after five times extraction.     

Electro-catalytic oxidation of CO on Pt catalyst supported on carbon nanotubes pretreated with oxidative acids

Characteristics of nanosized Pt electro-catalyst deposited on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were studied with CO-stripping voltammogram and chronoamperometry measurements. The CNTs were pretreated by oxidation in HNO₃, mixed HNO₃ + H₂SO₄ and H₂SO₄ + K₂Cr₂O₇ solution, respectively, to enable surface modification. Well-homogenized Pt particles (average size: ≈3 nm) were loaded onto the pretreated CNT samples by a modified colloidal method. TEM, BET, FTIR and XRD techniques were used to characterize the physicochemical properties of the pretreated CNT samples. In the electro-oxidation of CO, all the Pt/CNT samples showed lower on-set as well as peak potentials than the conventional Pt/XC-72 electro-catalyst, indicating that the Pt/CNT samples were more resistant to CO poisoning and could be superior anode electro-catalyst for the proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Moreover, we found that the pretreatment of CNTs in mixed HNO₃ + H₂SO₄ solution was very beneficial for the performance enhancement of Pt/CNT electro-catalyst; the catalyst obtained as such gave the lowest peak potential and the highest catalytic activity for the electro-oxidation of CO. Larger amount of oxygen-containing functional groups, higher percentage of mesopores, and higher graphitic crystallinity of the pretreated CNTs were considered crucial for the performance enhancement, e.g., by strengthening the interaction between Pt nanoparticles and the CNT support and enhancing the mass diffusion in the electro-chemical reaction.     

Carbon nanotube growth in the pores of expanded graphite by chemical vapor deposition

The growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the pores of expanded graphite by chemical vapor deposition with and without a catalyst was investigated and their microstructure was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Results show that pores of the expanded graphite, which can load catalyst particles, is the physical base for the growth of CNTs. Co(NO₃)₂ is better than Fe(NO₃)₃ and Ni(NO₃)₂ when used to immerse expanded graphite. The optimum catalyst concentration is 0.025 mol/L Co(NO₃)₂. The active edges of graphenes of freshly expanded graphite is a key factor for the growth of CNTs under non-catalytic conditions.     

Growth of conformal single-walled carbon nanotube films from Mo/Fe/Al2O3 deposited by electron beam evaporation

We discuss growth of high-quality carbon nanotube (CNT) films on bare and microstructured silicon substrates by atmospheric pressure thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD), from a Mo/Fe/Al₂O₃ catalyst film deposited by entirely electron beam evaporation. High-density films having a tangled morphology and a Raman G/D ratio of at least 20 are grown over a temperature range of 750-900 °C. H₂ is necessary for CNT growth from this catalyst in a CH₄ environment, and at 875 °C the highest yield is obtained from a mixture of 10%/90% H₂/CH₄. We demonstrate for the first time that physical deposition of the catalyst film enables growth of uniform and conformal CNT films on a variety of silicon microstructures, including vertical sidewalls fabricated by reactive ion etching and angled surfaces fabricated by anisotropic wet etching. Our results confirm that adding Mo to Fe promotes high-yield SWNT growth in H₂/CH₄; however, Mo/Fe/Al₂O₃ gives poor-quality multi-walled CNTs (MWNTs) in H₂/C₂H₄. An exceptional yield of vertically-aligned MWNTs grows from only Fe/Al₂O₃ in H₂/C₂H₄. These results emphasize the synergy between the catalyst and gas activity in determining the morphology, yield, and quality of CNTs grown by CVD, and enable direct growth of CNT films in micromachined systems for a variety of applications.     

MWCNT activation and its influence on the catalytic performance of Pt/MWCNT catalysts for selective hydrogenation

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes were submitted to three activation procedures: nitric acid oxidation, ball-milling and air oxidation. The influence of these treatments on nanotubes surface chemistry and morphology was evaluated by XPS, Raman and infrared spectroscopy, TGA, TPD, nitrogen adsorption and TEM. The three activated materials were used to prepare Pt supported catalysts from the organometallic precursor [Pt(CH₃)₂(COD)]. The influence of the activation treatments, together with that of a post-reduction thermal treatment, on the performances of the catalytic systems in the selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde was investigated. It was shown that the best compromise between catalyst activity and selectivity requires a low amount of oxygenated groups on the support surface of the final catalyst, typically less than 700 μmol/g CO + CO₂ evolved during TPD experiments, together with an optimized platinum particle size ranging between 10 and 20 nm.     

Theoretical studies of the CNx nanotube with four-nitrogen divacancy (4ND) defects

The formation energies, electronic properties, and applications in hydrogen storage of four-nitrogen divacancy (4ND) defects in a series of CNTs are investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We find that the formation energies of 4ND defects in the (n, 0) CNT are always smaller than those of the (n, n) CNT, suggesting that the formers might be easily formed. For (n, n) CNTs, the formation energies of 4ND defect are nearly independent of the tube diameters for s, while the values increase monotonically with the increased tube diameters in (n, 0) CNTs. Furthermore, the incorporation of 4ND structures to the CNT introduces the acceptor states to the band structures, resulting in the decrease of the band gaps of pure CNTs in various ways. By studying the hydrogen adsorption on the Ca-dispersed CN_x nanotube with 4ND structures, we suggest that up to five H₂ molecules can be bound to per Ca atom with the adsorption energy of −0.263 eV. The present results indicate that the Ca-dispersed CN_x nanotube with 4ND defects might be a promising candidate as hydrogen storage media.