Increase of γ-Fe2O3/CNT composite quantum capacitance by structural design for performance optimization of electrode materials

Performance optimization of electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries is one the most important scientific problems. In this paper, we suggest structural design of γ-Fe₂O₃/CNT composite for increase of its quantum capacitance that is required by modern energy storage devices capable of quick transfer or accumulation of energy and ensuring long-term autonomous operation. For this goal, we investigate the specific quantum capacitance of the γ-Fe₂O₃/CNT composites with a different content of maghemite by quantum chemical methods. The content of maghemite is varied by length of CNTs as well as by number of γ-Fe₂O₃ unit cell the weight ratio equals 13.71%, 20.74%, 26.69%, and 34.30%. It is found that the quantum capacitance grows with increasing maghemite concentration. Calculations show that the value of QC at the Fermi level for γ-Fe₂O₃/CNT is correlated with the theoretical specific capacity of the material. Proposed in this work approach to calculating the quantum capacitance with further analysis of its dependence on voltage can be an effective tool for optimizing the content of the composite with the aim of balancing the Faradaic and non-Faradaic component of its functional activity.     

Carbon Nanotube Immobilized Electrode Using Amphiphilic Phospholipid Polymer with Anti‐fouling and Dispersion Property for Electrochemical Analysis

A carbon nanotube (CNT)‐modified electrode was fabricated by dropping a dispersion of multi‐walled CNTs in water‐soluble and amphiphilic phospholipid polymer with both dispersing ability and anti‐biofouling property onto a Au electrode. A poly(2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine‐co‐n‐butyl methacrylate) (PMB) composed from 50 mol% of 2‐methacryloxylethyl phosphorylcholine and 50 mol% of n‐butyl methacrylate (PMB50) was used as dispersing reagent for CNTs. The dispersion of water‐insoluble material by PMB50 and its antifouling effects in electrochemical analysis were investigated. The CNT‐modified electrode showed an anodic peak potential that was shifted negatively and an increase in the current value for the electrolytic oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. In addition, the charge on PMB50 did not inhibit the electrochemical reaction of the redox compounds K₃[Fe(CN)₆], [Ru(NH₃)₆]Cl₃, and hydroxymethylferrocene. Cyclic voltammetry of K₃[Fe(CN)₆] in 4 % bovine serum albumin (BSA) using a bare Au electrode, the anodic peak current was reduced to 47 % of that without BSA. In contrast, the antifouling effect of the PMB50‐coated electrode meant that the current was only reduced to 70 % of that without BSA.     

Ru@Pt/CNTs纳米粒子的制备及催化乙醇氧化电化学活性的研究

通过乙醇还原方法制备了不同比例的碳纳米管负载钌铂核壳结构的纳米粒子(Ru@Pt/CNTs),并用作直接乙醇燃料电池的阳极催化剂。利用透射电镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等手段表征该催化剂的结构。结果表明Ru@Pt/CNTs纳米颗粒具有核壳结构(以钌为核),Ru@Pt/CNTs在乙醇电氧化反应(EOR)中表现出优良的电化学催化活性,其中,当铂∶钌摩尔比为0.75时,催化性能达到最优,电流密度值达到1 767.77 mA/mg Pt,是商业Pt/C的3.25倍。另外,耐久性的实验发现当铂∶钌摩尔比为1.00时, CV测试循环了250圈后衰减了19.7%。因此,具有核壳结构的Ru@Pt/CNTs纳米粒子对乙醇氧化反应有优良的催化活性。     

Improving the Performance of Nafion®-Based Fuel Cell Membranes by Introducing Histidine Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes

A new polymer nanocomposite membrane based on Nafion and functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was developed for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications. Histidine, an imidazole-based amino acid, was used for modifying the surface of CNTs. The modification of CNTs was characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and their Zeta potential. The imidazole groups, due to forming and breaking of hydrogen bonding, can facilitate proton transport across the polymer matrix by the Grotthuss mechanism. The final structure of the Nafion/CNT nanocomposites was investigated by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The results confirm that the transport properties of the fabricated new membranes were significantly improved in comparison with unmodified and conventional Nafion® membranes. The power density of the imidazole-CNT (Im-CNT) Nafion® composite membranes was about three times more than Nafion® membranes. Also, the experimental results showed that the proton conductivity for the conventional Nafion® membranes decreased over 100°C but the conductivity for the Nafion®/Im-CNT remained at a nearly constant value above 100°C up to 120°C. Thus, the nanocomposite based on Nafion/imidazole functionalized CNT can be considered as an anhydrous PEMFC membrane for high-temperature applications.     

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 TiO₂/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。     

Theoretical Semiempirical Study of the Biomolecules Interaction with Carbon Nanotubes

Modeling of the quantum interaction properties of glycine radicals on the sidewalls of the single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is investigated by MINDO/3 (Modified Intermediate Neglect of Differential Overlap version 3) calculations. It is found that the interaction potential of the N-centered glycine radical with the tubes results in stable complexes when it reacts with the nitrogen atom (N² centered) and metastable conformations with C² atoms. We have studied the effect of the diameter–length characteristics of the CNT on binding the amino acid. Our results suggest that the binding energy is lower as the CNT diameter increases, while as the CNT length increases, the binding energy initially increases and then slightly fluctuates.     

Electrical Conductivities and Physical and Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber (CF) and Carbon Nano-Tube (CNT) Filled Polyolefin Nano-Composites

Carbon nano-tube (CNT)- and carbon fiber (CF)-filled polyolefin nano-composites were prepared by melt blending. The water absorption, expansion ratio, electrical conductivities, and physical and mechanical properties of the prepared nano-composites were extensively investigated. The experimental results showed that the water absorption increased with the elapsed time from the starting point when the samples were immersed into the water. The linear expansion ratios of the composites were found to increase gradually with time till reaching an equilibrium value. Composites with excellent dielectric properties could be obtained when the filler content was above the percolation threshold. The addition of CNT and CF resulted in no obvious improvement in mechanical properties in the present study, but both Shore hardness and Vicat softening temperature (VST) of the composites increased with increasing filler content. The present work will be of practical importance to the CNT/CF filler composites design, and optimization of processing variables, as well as the further exploration of the “processing-structure-property” relationship of polyolefin materials.     

Fe—Co双金属催化剂对纳米碳管规模化生产的影响

在C2H2和N2的氛围下,以Fe－Co双金属氧化物为催化剂,利用催化裂解法大量制备了多壁纳米碳管,实验结果表明,以Fe－Co双金属氧化物为催化剂制备纳米碳管的产量明显高于Fe或Co单独存在时所得的纳米碳管的产量,且Fe摩尔分数为0.2时效果最佳;同时发现,在制备的产品中存在很多螺旋形的纳米碳管,此方法工艺简单,有利于纳米碳管的规模化、大批量生产,为纳米碳管的深入研究及广泛应用打下了基础。     

Field emission properties of carbon nanotube cathodes produced using composite plating

Field emission properties of carbon nanotube field emission cathodes (CNT-FECs) produced using composite plating are studied. The experiment uses a CNT suspension and electroless Ni plating bath to carry out composite plating. The CNTs were first purified by an acid solution, dispersed in a Ni electrobath, and finally co-deposited with Ni on glass substrates to synthesize electrically conductive films. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy results show that the field emission characteristics and graphitic properties of CNT-FECs depend on the pH value of the electrobath. Experiments show that the optimum electrobath pH value is 5.4, achieving a field emission current density of 1.0 mA/cm² at an applied electric field of 1.5 V/μm. The proposed CNT-FECs possess good field emission characteristics and have potential for backlight unit application in liquid crystal displays.     

Ferromagnetic CNT suspended H2O+Cu nanofluid analysis through composite stenosed arteries with permeable wall

In the present article magnetic field effects for CNT suspended copper nanoparticles for blood flow through composite stenosed arteries with permeable wall are discussed. The CNT suspended copper nanoparticles for the blood flow with water as base fluid is not explored yet. The equations for the CNT suspended Cu–water nanofluid are developed first time in the literature and simplified using long wavelength and low Reynolds number assumptions. Exact solutions have been evaluated for velocity, pressure gradient, the solid volume fraction of the nanoparticles and temperature profile. Effect of various flow parameters on the flow and heat transfer characteristics is utilized. It is also observed that with the increase in slip parameter blood flows slowly in arteries and trapped bolus increases.