Effect of carbon nanotubes addition on thermoelectric properties of Ca3Co4O9 ceramics

Increasing the phonon scattering center by adding nanoparticles to thermoelectric materials is an effective method of regulating the thermal conductivity. In this study, a series of Ca$_{3}$Co$_{4}$O$_{9}/x$ wt.% CNTs ($x=0$, 3, 5, 7, 10) polycrystalline ceramic thermoelectric materials by adding carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared with sol-gel method and cold-pressing sintering technology. The results of x-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy show that the materials have a single-phase structure with high orientation and sheet like microstructure. The effect of adding carbon nanotubes to the thermoelectric properties of Ca$_{3}$Co$_{4}$O$_{9}$ was systematically measured. The test results of thermoelectric properties show that the addition of carbon nanotubes reduces the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of the material. Nevertheless, the thermal conductivity of the samples with carbon nanotubes addition is lower than that of the samples without carbon nanotubes. At 625 K, the thermal conductivity of Ca$_{3}$Co$_{4}$O$_{9}$/10 wt.% CNTs sample is reduced to 0.408 W$\cdot$m$^{-1}\cdot$K$^{-1}$, which is about 73% lower than that of the original sample. When the three parameters are coupled, the figure of merit of Ca$_{3}$Co$_{4}$O$_{9}$/3 wt.% CNTs sample reaches 0.052, which is 29% higher than that of the original sample. This shows that an appropriate amount of carbon nanotubes addition can reduce the thermal conductivity of Ca$_{3}$Co$_{4}$O$_{9}$ ceramic samples and improve their thermoelectric properties.     

Nonequilibrium Green's function approach to phonon transport in defective carbon nanotubes

We have developed a new theoretical formalism for phonon transport in nanostructures using the nonequilibrium phonon Green's function technique and have applied it to thermal conduction in defective carbon nanotubes. The universal quantization of low-temperature thermal conductance in carbon nanotubes can be observed even in the presence of local structural defects such as vacancies and Stone-Wales defects, since the long wavelength acoustic phonons are not scattered by local defects. At room temperature, however, thermal conductance is critically affected by defect scattering since incident phonons are scattered by localized phonons around the defects. We find a remarkable change from quantum to classical features for the thermal transport through defective carbon nanotubes with increasing temperature.     

Mesoscopic thermal and thermoelectric measurements of individual carbon nanotubes

We discuss the mesoscopic experimental measurements of electron energy dissipation, phonon thermal transport, and thermoelectric phenomena in individual carbon nanotubes. The temperature distributions in electrically heated individual multiwalled carbon nanotubes have been measured with a scanning thermal microscope. The temperature profiles along the tube axis in nanotubes indicate the bulk dissipation of electronic energy to phonons. In addition, thermal conductivity of an individual multiwalled nanotube has been measured using a microfabricated suspended device. The observed thermal conductivity is two orders of magnitude higher than the estimation from previous experiments that used macroscopic mat samples. Finally, we present thermoelectric power (TEP) of individual single walled carbon nanotubes using a novel mesoscopic device. A strong modulation of TEP as a function of the gate electrode was observed.     

Structural and electronic properties of carbon nanotubes under hydrostatic pressures

We studied the structural and electronic properties of carbon nanotubes under hydrostatic pressures based on molecular dynamics simulations and first principles band structure calculations. It is found that carbon nanotubes experience a hard-to-soft transition as external pressure increases. The bulk modulus of soft phase is two orders of magnitude smaller than that of hard phase. The band structure calculations show that band gap of (10, 0) nanotube increases with the increase of pressure at low pressures. Above a critical pressure (5.70GPa), band gap of (10, 0) nanotube drops rapidly and becomes zero at 6.62GPa. Moreover, the calculated charge density shows that a large pressure can induce an {sp}²-to-{sp}³ bonding transition, which is confirmed by recent experiments on deformed carbon nanotubes.     

Breakdown of Fourier's law in nanotube thermal conductors

We present experimental evidence that the room temperature thermal conductivity (kappa) of individual multiwalled carbon and boron-nitride nanotubes does not obey Fourier's empirical law of thermal conduction. Because of isotopic disorder, kappa's of carbon nanotubes and boron-nitride nanotubes show different length dependence behavior. Moreover, for these systems we find that Fourier's law is violated even when the phonon mean free path is much shorter than the sample length.     

Thermal transport of oil and polymer composites filled with carbon nanotubes

We studied the thermal transport properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in polymer and oil matrices. The thermal conductivity of the oils and polymers increased linearly when adding tubes. We observe a particularly high increase in the thermal diffusivity of carbon-nanotube-loaded liquid crystal polymers (6×10⁻⁵ cm²/s wt%), which is due to a spontaneous alignment of the MWNTs. Carbon nanotubes increased the thermal conductivity of oil by a factor of three for 20 wt% loading. We found little or no dependence of the thermal enhancement on the specific flavor of multiwall nanotubes used in the composites. Carbon nanotubes are excellent nanoscale fillers for composites in thermal management application.     

Simplified synthesis of double-wall carbon nanotubes

We demonstrate a simplified synthesis technique for double-wall carbon nanotubes that is an adaptation of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques used previously for the production of single-wall nanotubes. Double-wall nanotubes (DWNTs) provide ideal geometries for numerous fundamental structural, electronic, thermal and vibrational studies, as well as providing a unique new platform for practical applications. The diameter distribution of DWNTs is broad, and it is possible that in previous studies using CVD-grown small-diameter nanotubes, presumed to be single-wall, there were significant numbers of DWNTs present.     

Controllable growth of individual, uniform carbon nanotubes by thermal chemical vapor deposition

We report on the controllable growth of individual, uniform carbon nanotubes using thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD). We performed a detailed study of the various factors influencing the growth of single nanotubes. In particular, we investigated the role played by catalyst layer thickness, catalyst dot size, deposition temperature, and gas source pressure on the growth process of straight, single nanotubes. Straight, individual nanotubes with uniform diameter can be obtained by decomposition of 0.1 mbar of acetylene at a temperature of 800 °C over a 5 nm thick nickel film that is patterned into square dots with dimensions below 500 nm. We compare the performance of thermal CVD and of plasma enhanced CVD for growing individual nanotubes.     

Ballistic phonon thermal transport in multiwalled carbon nanotubes

We report electrical transport experiments, using the phenomenon of electrical breakdown to perform thermometry, that probe the thermal properties of individual multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Our results show that nanotubes can readily conduct heat by ballistic phonon propagation. We determine the thermal conductance quantum, the ultimate limit to thermal conductance for a single phonon channel, and find good agreement with theoretical calculations. Moreover, our results suggest a breakdown mechanism of thermally activated C-C bond breaking coupled with the electrical stress of carrying approximately 10(12) A/m2. We also demonstrate a current-driven self-heating technique to improve the conductance of nanotube devices dramatically.     

Calculating thermopower due to fluctuation-assisted tunnelling with application to carbon nanotube ropes

We show how Sheng's theory of fluctuation-assisted tunnelling can be used to calculate thermopower due to the presence of quantum mechanical tunnelling barriers. For a hole-like situation, this calculated thermopower behaviour increases approximately linearly with increasing temperature (commencing from zero in the zero temperature limit) until a knee is reached, after which the thermopower continues to increase linearly but with a reduced slope. In Sheng's theory, the amplitude for the barrier fluctuations increases with increasing temperature and the knee occurs when the thermal fluctuations become comparable to the magnitude of the tunnelling barriers. Interestingly, this thermopower behaviour compares quite favourably with that measured for systems of metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNs) and, in particular, the knee seen in the temperature dependence of the carbon nanotube thermopower data at T∼100 K arises naturally in our calculation. For a system of carbon nanotubes, tunnelling barriers could occur either between individual carbon nanotubes or else due to defects within the carbon nanotubes.     

Theory and ab initio calculation of radiative lifetime of excitons in semiconducting carbon nanotubes

We present a theoretical analysis and first-principles calculation of the radiative lifetime of excitons in semiconducting carbon nanotubes. An intrinsic lifetime of the order of 10 ps is computed for the lowest optically active bright excitons. The intrinsic lifetime is, however, a rapid increasing function of the exciton momentum. Moreover, the electronic structure of the nanotubes dictates the existence of dark excitons near in energy to each bright exciton. Both effects strongly influence measured lifetime. Assuming a thermal occupation of bright and dark exciton bands, we find an effective lifetime of the order of 10 ns at room temperature, in good accord with recent experiments.     

Temperature dependence of the optical transition energies of carbon nanotubes: the role of electron-phonon coupling and thermal expansion

Tunable Raman spectroscopy is used to measure the optical transition energies Eii of individual single wall carbon nanotubes. Eii is observed to shift down in energy by as much as 50 meV, from -160 to 300 degrees C, in contrast with previous measurements performed on nanotubes in alternate environments, which show upshifts and downshifts in Eii with temperature. We determine that electron-phonon coupling explains our experimental observations of nanotubes suspended in air, neglecting thermal expansion. In contrast, for nanotubes in surfactant or in bundles, thermal expansion of the nanotubes' environment exerts a nonisotropic pressure on the nanotube that dominates over the effect of electron-phonon coupling.     

碳纳米管-硅纳米线复合结构的形成和热稳定性

通过分子动力学方法模拟了在碳纳米管内填充一定数目的半导体元素硅形成碳纳米管-硅纳米线复合结构的过程,并采用Lindemann指数研究了这种复合结构的热稳定性．计算结果表明,当考虑碳纳米管和硅纳米线轴向方向的周期性边界条件之后,在C（13,0）和C （14,0）碳纳米管内能够形成亚稳结构的硅纳米线Si₁₆NW和Si₂₀NW,从而获得一种碳纳米管-硅纳米线的新型复合结构．通过计算这种复合结构的Lindemann指数,可以看到由于碳纳米管的保护作用,碳纳米管包裹的硅纳 关键词： 复合结构 纳米线 碳纳米管 分子动力学     

催化裂解CH4制备碳纳米管的影响因素

以柠檬酸法制备的Fe MgO、Co MgO和Ni MgO为催化剂 ,CH4 为碳源气 ,H2 为还原气 ,在 873、973和 10 73K制备出碳纳米管 ,通过TEM和拉曼光谱表征 ,讨论了催化剂、制备温度、反应时间等因素对碳纳米管形貌、产率和内部结构的影响 .结果表明 :不同的催化剂在相同的温度下制备的碳纳米管的形态和内部结构有很大的差异 .其中Fe MgO催化剂制备的碳纳米管管径粗 ,且大小不均匀 ,而Ni MgO催化剂制备的碳纳米管管径较细、较均匀 .碳纳米管的产率随着裂解温度的变化而改变 .Fe MgO催化剂制备碳纳米管的产率随制备温度的升高而提高 ,而Ni MgO催化剂制备碳纳米管的产率随制备温度的升高而降低 .Fe MgO催化剂制备碳纳米管 ,在10 73K甚至更高的制备温度才能达到其最高产率 .Co MgO催化剂制备碳纳米管的产率在 973K左右产率较高 ,而用Ni MgO催化剂制备碳纳米管 ,则在 873K甚至更低的制备温度就能达到最高产率 .反应时间与碳纳米管的产率不成正比 ,有一最佳反应时间 ,如Ni MgO催化剂的最佳反应时间为 2h .     

碳纳米管中点缺陷对热导率影响的正交试验模拟分析

在碳纳米管的制备过程中, 各种点缺陷不可避免地存在于其晶格结构中, 对于碳管的热输运性质造成不可忽视的影响. 使用非平衡分子动力学方法, 选用反应经验键序势能, 模拟计算含有缺陷的碳纳米管的热导率. 尝试采用正交试验方法设计算例, 不但减少了计算量, 并且利于分析缺陷类型、 管长和管径三种结构因素对缺陷造成的热导率下降影响的主次和趋势. 重点研究了掺杂、 吸附和空位三类点缺陷的影响, 与无缺陷完整碳纳米管进行比较, 开展缺陷效应分析, 并进一步考察了环境温度等因素的影响. 模拟结果表明, 相对完整无缺陷碳管, 含有点缺陷的碳管热导率显着下降; 在有缺陷存在的情况下, 缺陷的类型对碳管热导率的影响最大, 管径次之, 管长影响相对最小; 缺陷类型对热导率影响力从大到小依次为: 空位 > 掺杂 > 吸附; 不同环境温度下, 点缺陷对碳管热导率的影响不尽相同.     

碳纳米管电缆式复合材料的热导率

通过非平衡分子动力学方法, 对单壁碳管填充金纳米线的碳纳米管电缆式复合材料开展热导率的模拟分析. 采用Tersoff势函数描述碳-碳原子间的相互作用, Lennard-Jones长程作用势描述碳-金原子间的相互作用, 嵌入原子势函数描述金-金原子间相互作用. 研究结果表明: 相同尺寸下, 金纳米线的电子热导率相较于空碳管以及电缆式复合材料的声子热导率小很多, 对复合材料总热导率的贡献可以忽略; 由于管内金纳米线的存在, 其与碳管的相互作用使得碳管碳原子倾向于沿着轴向振动, 声子间U散射随之减少, 声子平均自由程增加, 导致复合材料热导率明显大于空碳管, 在100–500 K温度范围内高出约20%–45%, 但增大幅度随温升呈降低趋势; 复合材料热导率随着管长增加而增大, 变化趋势和空碳管相似, 但其增长幅度更大; 复合材料和空碳管的热导率随管径增大而减小, 且变化幅度基本一致. 关键词： 碳纳米管 纳米线 电缆式复合材料 导热     

Determination of the Thermal Expansion Coefficient of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes by Raman Spectroscopy

We have examined the effect of high temperature on single-wall carbon nanotubes under air and nitrogen ambient by Raman spectroscopy. We observe the temperature dependence of the radial breathing mode and the G-band modes. The thermal expansion coefficient (β) of the bundled nanotubes is obtained experimentally using the estimated volume from Raman scattering. β behaves linearly with temperature from 0.33 × 10^?5 K^?1 to 0.28 × 10^?5 K^?1 in air and from 0.58 × 10^?5 K^?1 to 0.47 × 10^?5 K^?1 in nitrogen ambient, respectively. The temperature dependence of the radial breathing mode Raman frequencies is consistent with a pure temperature effect.     

碳纳米管的热导率:从弹道到扩散输运

采用非平衡分子动力学方法研究了300 K和1000 K时（5,5）碳纳米管热导率随长度的变化.在室温下,碳纳米管长度小于40 nm时热导率与长度呈线性关系,此时导热处于弹道输运阶段,单位面积弹道热导为5.88×10⁹ Wm^-2K^-1．随着碳纳米管长度的增加,其热导率逐渐增加,但增加速度随长度逐渐减小,此时导热处于弹道—扩散输运阶段,并随长度的增加从以弹道输运为主向以扩散输运为主转变．长度大于10 μm时由于弹道输运可以忽略,导热近似达到完全 关键词： 碳纳米管 热导率 弹道输运 低维导热     

The effects of vacancy defects and nitrogen doping on the thermal conductivity of armchair (10, 10) single-wall carbon nanotubes

The influence of vacancy defects and nitrogen doping on the thermal conductivity of typical armchair (10, 10) single-walled carbon nanotubes is investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The second-generation reactive empirical bond order potential and Tersoff potential are used to describe the interatomic interactions and the thermal conductivities are calculated using the Müller-Plathe approach (also called non-equilibrium MD simulation). Vacancy defects decrease the thermal conductivity whereas the substitution of nitrogen at vacancy sites improves the thermal conductivity. Quantum correction of the calculated results produces a thermal conductance temperature dependence that is in qualitative agreement with experimental data.     

Electric field aligned growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Electric field aligned, single-walled carbon nanotubes are grown between electrodes using thermal chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of methane. The growth occurs on a thin film layered catalyst of aluminium, iron and molybdenum patterned on top of electrodes. The nanotubes bridge 10 μm sized electrode gaps and have a typical diameter of less than 2 nm as measured by Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. We present electrical transport measurements on a directly grown nanotube which shows p-type semiconducting behaviour.