A new route for the electrodeposition of platinum-nickel alloy nanoparticles on multi-walled carbon nanotubes

An electrochemical method was developed to deposit platinum (Pt) and nickel (Ni) nanoparticles on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) through a three-step process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) show the alloy formation for Pt and Ni with a ratio of 1:1. The presence of Pt(0), Ni(0), Ni(OH)₂, NiOOH and slight NiO was deduced from XPS data. Electrocatalytic properties of the resulting PtNi/MWCNT electrode for methanol oxidation reaction were investigated. Compared with Pt/MWCNT, an appreciably improved resistance to CO poisoning was observed for the PtNi/MWCNT electrode, which was interpreted by a mechanism based on the bifunctional catalysis. The successful preparation of PtNi/MWCNT nanocomposites opens a new path for an efficient dispersion of the promising electrocatalysts in the direct methanol fuel cells.     

Crystallization and phase transformation kinetics of poly(1-butene)/MWCNT nanocomposites

Poly(1-butene)/MWCNT nanocomposites were prepared by simple melt processing technique. Crystallization, crystal-to-crystal phase transformation and spherulitic morphology were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and optical microscopy (OM). The non-isothermal crystallization exhibited higher values of Z_t derived from Avrami theory and lower values of F(T) obtained from Avrami-Ozawa analysis, while the isothermal crystallization revealed a significant increase in crystallization temperatures and lower crystallization half times compared to pristine PB. The observed changes in the crystallization kinetics were ascribed to the enhanced nucleation of PB in the presence of MWCNT. The nucleating activity calculated from the non-isothermal crystallization data revealed that the MWCNTs provide an active surface for the nucleation of PB. The optical micrographs exhibited significantly smaller crystallites with disordered morphology for the nanocomposites compared to the well defined spherulitic morphology for pristine PB. The rate of phase transformation from kinetically favored tetragonal to thermodynamically stable hexagonal form was noticeably enhanced as evidenced by the reduction in the half time for phase transformation from 58 h to 25 h for PB reinforced with 7% MWCNT.     

The Genetic Heterogeneity among Different Mouse Strains Impacts the Lung Injury Potential of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Genetic variation constitutes an important variable impacting the susceptibility to inhalable toxic substances and air pollutants, as reflected by epidemiological studies in humans and differences among animal strains. While multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are capable of causing lung fibrosis in rodents, it is unclear to what extent the genetic variation in different mouse strains influence the outcome. Four inbred mouse strains, including C57Bl/6, Balb/c, NOD/ShiLtJ, and A/J, to test the pro‐fibrogenic effects of a library of MWCNTs in vitro and in vivo are chosen. Ex vivo analysis of IL‐1β production in bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs) as molecular initiating event (MIE) is performed. The order of cytokine production (Balb/c > A/J > C57Bl/6 > NOD/ShiLtJ) in BMDMs is also duplicated during assessment of IL‐1β production in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of the same mouse strains 40 h after oropharyngeal instillation of a representative MWCNT. Animal test after 21 d also confirms a similar hierarchy in TGF‐β1 production and collagen deposition in the lung. Statistical analysis confirms a correlation between IL‐1β production in BMDM and the lung fibrosis. All considered, these data demonstrate that genetic background indeed plays a major role in determining the pro‐fibrogenic response to MWCNTs in the lung.     

聚苯胺-多壁碳纳米管薄膜SAW NO2传感器

将聚苯胺-多壁碳纳米管聚合物沉积于声表面波(SAW)气体传感器的敏感区,形成敏感薄膜,实现了室温下对不同体积分数NO2的检测.研究表明:这种传感器具有很高的敏感性,良好的重复性和低体积分数检测极限.同时,单一聚苯胺薄膜也做了对比测量,实验结果表明:聚苯胺-多壁碳纳米管聚合物敏感膜比单一聚苯胺薄膜具有更高的敏感性和更短的...     

The dual capacity of the NiSn alloy/MWCNT nanocomposite for sodium and hydrogen ions storage using porous Cu foam as a current collector

A nanostructured NiSn alloy/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite was successfully synthesized for highly reversible sodium and hydrogen ions storage by using an electrochemical deposition process on porous Cu foam. The surface morphology of the resulting NiSn alloy/MWCNT nanocomposite was characterized using a field-emission scanning electron microscope, indicating the formation of sphere-like NiSn alloy nanoparticles with an average size of 190 nm. On the other hand, X-ray diffraction analysis, energy dispersive and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies were employed to determine the crystalline structure, elemental surface and chemical composition of the nanocomposite electrode. The initial sodium discharge capacity of the electrode was maximized at ∼550 mAh g⁻¹ under the current density of 1000 mA g⁻¹, and a high hydrogen discharge capacity of 5200 mAh g⁻¹ was obtained at 1100 mA g⁻¹ after 20 cycles. A comprehensive comparison between the sodium and hydrogen ions capacities in this study and those of the literature for different materials and structures was also performed. Accordingly, the resulting nanocomposite electrode with dual capacity may offer promising applications in both sodium-ion battery and hydrogen storage.     

Three-dimensional carbon nanotube based polymer composites for thermal management

In this study, the porous multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) foams possessing three-dimensional (3D) scaffold structures have been introduced into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for enhancing the overall thermal conductivity (TC). This unique interconnected structure of freeze-dried MWCNT foams can provide thermally conductive pathways leading to higher TC. The TC of 3D MWCNT and PDMS composites can reach 0.82 W/m K, which is about 455% that of pure PDMS, and 300% higher than that of composites prepared from traditional blending process. The obtained polymer composites not only exhibit superior mechanical properties but also dimensional stability. To evaluate the performance of thermal management, the LED modulus incorporated with the 3D MWCNT/PDMS composite as heat sink is also fabricated. The composites display much faster and higher temperature rise than the pristine PDMS matrix, suggestive of its better thermal dissipation. These results imply that the as-developed 3D-MWCNT/PDMS composite can be a good candidate in thermal interface for thermal management of electronic devices.     

Electrochemical energy storage applications of carbon nanotube supported heterogeneous metal sulfide electrodes

Electrochemical system centered on hierarchically carbon-based metal sulphide assemblies are of great fame for competent supercapacitors. Herein, the synthesis of a hierarchical CNT anchored MoS₂–Bi₂S₃ nanocomposite is reported. Attractively, a vertically grown Bi₂S₃ nanorods supported on MoS₂ nanosheets with carbon framework acts as a highly effective electrode in alkaline electrolyte. More interestingly, this hierarchical structure and synergetic upshot of CNT and composites provide excess coverage of active sites with improved conductivity and stability. Advancing from the physical and compositional properties of nanocomposites, the specific capacitance of MoS₂–Bi₂S₃@CNT composites is measured to be 1338 F/g at 10 mV/s, columbic efficiency of 99.5% over 10000 cycles and long-term stability (60% retention at 0.5 A g^?1 over 2000 cycles and 34.6% up to 10000 cycles). The success of this MoS₂–Bi₂S₃@CNT composite may be attributed to the structural advantages, admirable cyclic stability, and better capacitance retention for supercapacitor applications.     

NIR驱动MWCNT修饰的超滑PI光热响应膜表面液滴定向输运

目的 制备多壁碳纳米管(MWCNT)修饰的超滑聚酰亚胺(PI)光热响应膜表面,实现近红外光(NIR)驱动液滴定向输运.方法 基于静电纺丝结合喷涂法制备MWCNT修饰的超滑PI光热响应膜表面,分别通过扫描电子显微镜、接触角测量仪、红外热成像仪表征样品的微观形貌、润湿特性及光热特性,分析液滴大小与润滑油黏度对液滴定向输运的影响规律,研究NIR驱动液滴在MWCNT修饰的超滑PI光热响应膜表面定向输运的作用机理.结果 MWCNT修饰PI膜表面的疏水性提高,液滴静态接触角从115°增大至160°.NIR连续照射MWCNT修饰的超滑PI光热响应膜表面90 s,表面温度的最大上升速率为42.6℃/s,表面最大温度达到123.6℃.通过NIR照射超滑PI纳米纤维膜表面,表面局部温度上升,产生润湿梯度力,驱动液滴在表面定向输运.液滴定向输运与润湿梯度力及粘滞阻力有关.超滑PI光热响应膜表面的润滑油黏度相同时,液滴体积越小,粘滞阻力越小,液滴定向输运的速度越快.5μL液滴在润滑油黏度为0.65 mm2/s的超滑PI光热响应膜表面的运动速度最大,运动速度为1.64 mm/s.液滴体积相同时,超滑PI光热响应膜表面的润滑油黏度越大,液滴受到的润湿梯度力越小.5μL液滴在润滑油黏度为100 mm2/s的超滑PI光热响应膜表面的润湿梯度力Fwet-grad最小,润湿梯度力为6.39×10?6 N.结论 MWCNT修饰的超滑PI光热响应膜表面具有良好的光热效应,NIR可精准驱动单液滴及多液滴在表面的定向输运.     

Crosstalk noise modeling of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) interconnects using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique

This paper presents an accurate and efficient model for the transient analysis of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The proposed model can be essentially used to analyze the functional and dynamic crosstalk effects of coupled-two MWCNT interconnect lines. Using the proposed model the voltage and current can be accurately estimated at any point on the interconnect line and furthermore, the model can be extended to coupled-n interconnect lines with a low computational cost. Crosstalk induced propagation delay, peak voltage, and its timing instance are measured using the proposed model and validated by comparing it to the HSPICE simulations. Over a random number of test cases it is observed that the average error in estimating the noise peak voltage on a victim line is less than 1%. The proposed model is extremely useful for accurate estimation of crosstalk induced performance parameters of MWCNT interconnects.     

Capacitor Applications of Nanocomposite Films for Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-co-pyrrole)/Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-co-pyrrole)/Copper Oxide

Polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotube, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/multi-walled carbon nanotube and their nanocomposites P(EDOT-co-Py)/multi-walled carbon nanotube and P(EDOT-co-Py)/copper (II) oxide, (CuO) in the initial feed ratio of [EDOT]₀/[Py]₀ = 1/5 were electrosynthesized on glassy carbon electrode by cyclic voltammetric method. Their characterizations were performed by cyclic voltammetric, Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersion X-ray analysis, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. To the best of authors’ knowledge, the first report on polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotube, PEDOT/multi-walled carbon nanotube, P(EDOT-co-Py)/multi-walled carbon nanotube and P(EDOT-co-Py)/CuO nanocomposite films were comparatively examined in 0.1 M NaClO₄/CH₃CN and in 0.1 M sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions. The highest specific capacitance for PEDOT/multi-walled carbon nanotube and polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotube composite films were obtained as C_sp = 306 mF × cm^?2 for 3% multi-walled carbon nanotube and C_sp = 804 mF × cm^?2 for 1% multi-walled carbon nanotube, respectively. The highest specific capacitances were obtained as C_sp = 27.40 mF × cm^?2 and C_sp = 26.90 mF × cm^?2 for P(EDOT-co-Py)/multi-walled carbon nanotube includes the wt percent of 1% multi-walled carbon nanotube and P(EDOT-co-Py)/CuO includes the wt percent of 3% CuO, respectively. The C_sp of P(EDOT-co-Py)/CNT composite films were calculated as 9.43 and 11.49 mF × cm^?2 for 3 and 5% multi-walled carbon nanotube, respectively. In addition, The EIS results were simulated with the equivalent circuit model of R_s(C_dl1(R₁(QR₂)))(C_dl2R₃).