多孔氧化铝模板催化制备定向碳纳米管阵列

Well-aligned open-ended multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) arrays were prepared via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method in porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates without depositing any transition metals as catalyst. Effects of the CVD temperature and heat treatment were studied in detail.Well-aligned open-ended MWCNT arrays were obtained at the CVD temperature above 600 ℃; when CVD temperature is reduced to around 550 ℃, CNTs, CNFs and other structures existed at the same time; no CNTs or carbon nanofibres (CNFs) could be found as the CVD temperature is below 500 ℃, and only amorphous carbon in the porous AAO template was found. Experimental results showed that the AAO template is catalytic during the CVD process, and it has the following two effects: to catalyze thermal decomposition of acetylene and to catalyze conversion of carbon decomposed from acetylene into CNTs or CNFs. Heat treatment could improve the graphitization degree, but it might also introduce new defects.     

Characterization of the flow of the CO/CO2 gases through carbon nanotube junctions using molecular dynamic simulations

A detailed study of the gas flow in carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon nanotube junctions (CNTJ) can open the way towards the study of the reaction mixture flow in prospective nano-reactors. In this work, flow of the pure and mixed CO/CO₂ gases through some selected CNTs and three types of CNT1-J-CNT2 CNTJs, (12,12)-J-(3,8), (12,8)-J-(8,12) and (8,8)-J-(13,0), are studied using molecular dynamic simulations. Results of this study show that regardless of the diameter and helicity type of the CNT1 and CNT2, when the flow starts with the molecules in the CNT1, the number density of molecules in the CNT2 is higher than that in the CNT1. Projected radial distribution of the molecules are calculated and analyzed in terms of the molecule–molecule and molecule-wall interactions. The well-structured projected radial distribution results show that the CNT radius and helicity as well as the type of molecules determine the lateral distribution of the gas molecules along the flow.     

薄膜表面等离子体光催化剂Ag@AgBr/CNT/Ni的制备和性能

用复合电沉积技术制备了Ag@AgBr/CNT/Ni表面等离子体薄膜催化剂,以扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、拉曼光谱(Raman Spectra)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)对薄膜的表面形貌、晶体结构、化学组成和光谱特性进行了表征,在可见光照射下,用罗丹明B(RhB)作为模拟污染物对薄膜的光催化性质和稳定性进行测定,采用测定薄膜电化学阻抗谱(EIS)和向反应系统中加入活性物种捕获剂的方法对薄膜光催化机制进行探索。结果表明:最优工艺下制备的Ag@AgBr/CNT/Ni薄膜是由少量碳纳米管(CNT)和表面沉积纳米Ag粒子的AgBr晶体构成的复合薄膜。薄膜具有突出的表面等离子体共振效应、优异的光催化活性和良好的催化稳定性。光催化罗丹明B 20 min,Ag@AgBr/CNT/Ni薄膜的降解率是Ag@AgBr/Ni薄膜的1.32倍,是P25 TiO_2/ITO多孔薄膜的21.6倍。在保持光催化性能基本不变的前提下可循环使用5次。CNT的存在使薄膜电荷传导性能和光催化还原溶解氧的性能大幅增加,是所制薄膜相对于Ag@AgBr/Ni薄膜光催化性能提高的主要原因。提出了薄膜光催化罗丹明B的反应机理。     

Fast response in TN liquid-crystal cells: effect of functionalised carbon nanotubes

The optical response time of a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) decreases due to incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the liquid-crystal host. Such reduction is believed to be due to an increase in the elastic constant of the nanotube-doped LC system. In this paper, we present the effect on optical response due to doping an NLC with octadecylamine functionalised single-walled carbon nanotubes (ODA-SWCNT) in a twisted alignment mode. The electro-optic switching amplitude of ODA-SWCNT nanocomposites of NLC decreases compared to pure NLC. A fast response time is observed with an increase in the concentration of ODA-SWCNT in NLC host. Additionally, optical response of pure NLC in a twisted nematic (TN) cell fabricated using mixtures of polyimide (PI) and ODA-SWCNT as an alignment layer is investigated. The optical response time decreased by ~75% in a TN cell fabricated with a mixture of PI and ODA-SWCNT compared to that of a TN cell prepared using a pure PI alignment layer. The presence of ODA-SWCNT in the alignment layer enhances the surface anchoring of the NLC molecules leading to an increase in the elastic constant and a decrease in the optical response time of NLC.     

Interaction mechanism between serine functional groups and single‐walled carbon nanotubes

The adsorption of serine (Ser) on the (8, 8) and (10, 0) single‐walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was studied by density‐functional tight‐binding calculations. For Ser, the two most stable configurations were chosen to research the interactions with the CNT. It found that the most stable Ser/(8, 8) and Ser/(10, 0) complexes have similar structures, in which the amino group, carboxyl, and side chain of serine directly interact with the CNT. The binding energies, charge transfer properties, the shortest distance (d₁) between the H atom and the corresponding benzene ring, distance (d₂) between the H atom and the center of benzene ring (HCB), and the angle (α) between the HCB line and the corresponding benzene ring plane were analyzed to explain the interactions. Because of the interaction, the ?CH of the main chain runs away from the surface of CNT, and the angles between the ?C?H bond of the main chain and the carboxyl, the amino group, and the side chain of the Ser become small. The strain energies and changes of angles and dihedral angles of the serine after adsorption were analyzed to illustrate the deformation. The interactions of Ser with the CNT were further illustrated by calculating the molecular orbitals and the partial density of states of the stable complexes. We further compared the binding energies of armchair (n, n) and zigzag (n, 0) CNTs to investigate the diameter dependence of binding energies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一种基于碳纳米管的随机存储器

利用碳纳米管之间范德瓦耳斯力,设计了一种基于碳纳米管的可读写的随机存储器,研究了系统的双稳性,讨论了存储器的优点和可行性,并得出系统具有良好存储效应所应满足的条件 关键词： 碳纳米管 范德瓦耳斯力 动态随机存储器     

Investigation of Laminar Convective Heat Transfer of a Novel Tio2–Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Water-Based Nanofluid

The current study was conducted to investigate the convective heat transfer coefficient of a novel TiO₂–CNT hybrid nanofluid through the shell-and-tube heat exchanger under a laminar flow and the effects of temperature and mass fraction on it. TiO₂–CNT hybrid nanofluids were prepared using a new and modified hydrolysis technique. The thermal conductivity of the TiO₂–CNT hybrid nanofluid and other thermo-physical properties were assessed. Results indicate that the effective thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficient of the base fluid was influenced significantly and increased by the 0.2 wt% of this novel hybrid nanofluid in distilled water.     

Photoelectrochemical cells using metal-decorated carbon nanotube electrodes

We fabricated the photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells using n-type TiO₂ and metal (Pt, Pd)-decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as an anode and a cathode, respectively. Photovoltaic effects were clearly observed. Compared with conventional PEC cell with Pt cathode, a larger photo-voltage was found in the PEC cells with the metal-decorated CNT cathode due to p-type semiconducting properties of CNTs. Additionally, we connected two PEC cells in series to decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen. Indeed, the connected PEC cells yielded the photo-voltage of about 1.35 V, which is larger than 1.23 V required for water splitting. This result demonstrates the possibility of hydrogen generation using the connected PEC cells without an external bias.     

Aerosol generation and measurement of multi-wall carbon nanotubes

Mass production of some kinds of carbon nanotubes (CNT) is now imminent, but little is known about the risk associated with their exposure. It is important to assess the propensity of the CNT to release particles into air for its risk assessment. In this study, we conducted aerosolization of a multi-walled CNT (MWCNT) to assess several aerosol measuring instruments. A Palas RBG-1000 aerosol generator applied mechanical stress to the MWCNT by a rotating brush at feed rates ranging from 2 to 20 mm/h, which the MWCNT was fed to a two-component fluidized bed. The fluidized bed aerosol generator was used to disperse the MWCNT aerosol once more. We monitored the generated MWCNT aerosol concentrations based on number, area, and mass using a condensation particle counter and nanoparticle surface area monitor. Also we quantified carbon mass in MWCNT aerosol samples by a carbon monitor. The shape of aerosolized MWCNT fibers was observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The MWCNT was well dispersed by our system. We found isolated MWCNT fibers in the aerosols by SEM and the count median lengths of MWCNT fibers were 4–6 μm. The MWCNT was quantified by the carbon monitor with a modified condition based on the NIOSH analytical manual. The MWCNT aerosol concentration (EC mass base) was 4 mg/m³ at 2 mm/h in this study.     

Influence of acid treatments of carbon nanotube precursors on Ni/CNT in the synthesis of carbon nanotubes

The Ni/CNT catalyst was fabricated by directly dipping carbon nanotube precursors refluxed in 4 M of nitric acid into Ni electroless plating bath, and used to synthesize new carbon nanotubes. The experimental results indicate that the duration of acid-treatment of carbon nanotubes precursors exerts a great influence on the catalysis of Ni/CNT in the synthesis of carbon nanotubes and hence the structures of the new carbon nanotubes. When the carbon nanotubes precursors were refluxed for 0.5 h in 4 M of nitric acid, bamboo-shaped carbon nanotubes (BSCNT) or Y junction carbon nanotubes in the carbon products were obtained. As the duration of acid-treatment of carbon nanotubes precursors increased to 6 h, the as-prepared Ni/CNT displayed higher activity, and the carbon nanotube products were high pure without any Y junction structure or any separation layers in hollow.