Curvature‐dependent adsorption of water inside and outside armchair carbon nanotubes

The curvature dependence of the physisorption properties of a water molecule inside and outside an armchair carbon nanotube (CNT) is investigated by an incremental density‐fitting local coupled cluster treatment with single and double excitations and perturbative triples (DF‐LCCSD(T)) study. Our results show that a water molecule outside and inside (n, n) CNTs (n = 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10) is stabilized by electron correlation. The adsorption energy of water inside CNTs decreases quickly with the decrease of curvature (increase of radius) and the configuration with the oxygen pointing toward the CNT wall is the most stable one. However, when the water molecule is adsorbed outside the CNT, the adsorption energy varies only slightly with the curvature and the configuration with hydrogens pointing toward the CNT wall is the most stable one. We also use the DF‐LCCSD(T) results to parameterize Lennard‐Jones (LJ) force fields for the interaction of water both with the inner and outer sides of CNTs and with graphene representing the zero curvature limit. It is not possible to reproduce all DF‐LCCSD(T) results for water inside and outside CNTs of different curvature by a single set of LJ parameters, but two sets have to be used instead. Each of the two resulting sets can reproduce three out of four minima of the effective potential curves reasonably well. These LJ models are then used to calculate the water adsorption energies of larger CNTs, approaching the graphene limit, thus bridging the gap between CNTs of increasing radius and flat graphene sheets. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Efficient anchorage of Pt clusters on N-doped carbon nanotubes and their catalytic activity

We report an efficient method for anchoring Pt clusters (e.g., 6 nm in size) on the surfaces of N-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs-CN_x) using a relatively simple method consisting of a hydrothermal treatment of Na₂[PtCl₆] · 6H₂O and N-doped nanotubes dispersed in acetic acid. The catalytic properties of this material were evaluated finding that the conversion of cinnamaldehyde using Pt-coated MWNTs-CN_x could increase up to 6 times with respect to that obtained for uncoated MWNTs-CN_x and pure carbon CNTs. Therefore, we envisage this material could be either used as an efficient catalyst or as a sensor.     

Hydrogen adsorption in defected carbon nanotubes

Recently there has been lot of interest in the development of hydrogen storage in various systems for the large-scale application of fuel cells, mobiles and for automotive uses. Hectic materials research is going on throughout the world with various adsorption mechanisms to increase the storage capacity. It was observed that physisorption proves to be an effective way for this purpose. Some of the materials in this race include graphite, zeolite, carbon fibers and nanotubes. Among all these, the versatile material carbon nanotube (CNT) has a number of favorable points like porous nature, high surface area, hollowness, high stability and light weight, which facilitate the hydrogen adsorption in both outer and inner portions. In this work we have considered armchair (5,5), zig zag (10,0) and chiral tubes (8,2) and (6,4) with and without structural defects to study the physisorption of hydrogen on the surface of carbon nanotubes using DFT calculations. For two different H₂ configurations, adsorption binding energies are estimated both for defect free and defected carbon nanotubes. We could observe larger adsorption energies for the configuration in which the hydrogen molecular axis perpendicular to the hexagonal carbon ring than for parallel to C–C bond configuration corresponding to the defect free nanotubes. For defected tubes the adsorption energies are calculated for various configurations such as molecular axis perpendicular to a defect site octagon and parallel to C–C bond of octagon and another case where the axis perpendicular to hexagon in defected tube. The adsorption binding energy values are compared with defect free case. The results are discussed in detail for hydrogen storage applications.     

Dispersion-corrected DFT study on the carbon monoxide sensing by B<Subscript>2</Subscript>C nanotubes: effects of dopant and interferences

Electrical sensitivity of a boron carbon nanotube (B₂CNT) was examined toward carbon monoxide (CO) molecule by using dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations. It was found that CO is weakly adsorbed on the tube, releasing energy of 3.5–4.1 kcal/mol, and electronic properties of the tube are not significantly changed. To overcome this problem, boron and carbon atoms of the tube were substituted by aluminum and silicon atoms, respectively. Although both Al and Si doping make the tube more reactive and sensitive to CO, Si doping seems to be a better strategy to manufacture CO chemical sensors due to the higher sensitivity without deformation of nanotube structure after adsorption procedure. Moreover, it was shown that some interference molecules such as H₂O, H₂S and NH₃ cannot significantly change the electronic properties of B₂CNT. Therefore, the Si-doped tube might convert the presence of CO molecules to electrical signal.     

Theoretical Investigation of the Interaction between Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Nanotubes with Single‐Vacancy Defects

Density functional theory calculations are used to study the healing process of a defective CNT (i.e. (8,0) CNT) by CO molecules. The healing undergoes three evolutionary steps: 1) the chemisorption of the first CO molecule, 2) the incorporation of the C atom of CO into the CNT, accompanied by the adsorption of the leaving O atom on the CNT surface, 3) the removal of the adsorbed O atom from the CNT surface by a second CO molecule to form CO₂ and the perfect CNT. Overall, adsorption of the first CO reveals a barrier of 2.99 kcal mol^?1 and is strongly exothermal by 109.11 kcal mol^?1, while adsorption of a second CO has an intrinsic barrier of 32.37 kcal mol^?1and is exothermal by 62.34 kcal mol^?1. In light of the unique conditions of CNT synthesis, that is, high temperatures in a closed container, the healing of the defective CNT could be effective in the presence of CO molecules. Therefore, we propose that among the available CNT synthesis procedures, the good performance of chemical vapor decomposition of CO on metal nanoparticles might be ascribed to the dual role of CO, that is, CO acts both as a carbon source and a defect healer. The present results are expected to help a deeper understanding of CNT growth.     

Non-isothermal oxidation kinetics of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes up to 1273 K in ambient

Non-isothermal oxidation kinetics of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been studied using thermogravimetry up to 1273 K in ambient using multiple heating rates. One single heating rate based model-fitting technique and four multiple heating rates based model-free isoconversional methods were used for this purpose. Depending on nanotube structure and impurity content, average activation energy (E _a), pre-exponential factor (A), reaction order (n), and degradation mechanism changed considerably. For multi-walled CNTs, E _a and A evaluated using model-fitting technique were ranged from 142.31 to 178.19 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively, and from 1.71 × 10⁵ to 5.81 × 10⁷ s⁻¹, respectively, whereas, E _a for single-walled CNTs ranged from 83.84 to 148.68 kJ mol⁻¹ and A from 2.55 × 10² to 1.18 × 10⁷ s⁻¹. Although, irrespective of CNT type, the model-fitting method resulted in a single kinetic triplet i.e., E _a, A, and reaction mechanism, model-free isoconversional methods suggested that thermal oxidation of these nanotubes could be either a simple single-step mechanism with almost constant activation energy throughout the reaction span or a complex process involving multiple mechanisms that offered varying E _a with extent of conversion. Criado method was employed to predict degradation mechanism(s) of these CNTs.     

A theoretical study on the chirality detection of serine amino acid based on carbon nanotubes with and without Stone-Wales defects

In the present study, the interaction of serine (SER) amino acid (AA) with the pristine and defected carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been investigated by employing the molecular dynamics (MD) and the density functional theory (DFT) approaches. Furthermore, the potential application of CNTs with and without the Stone-Wales (SW) defects in sensing of SER chirality has been studied. Our results confirm that introducing the chiral l and d SERs (LSER and DSER) exerts a significant effect on the electronic and optical properties of the CNTs with and without the SW defect. According to the MD results, it is observed that for all the structures, the obtained minimum distance is among the SER aliphatic segments and the tube atoms. The calculated structural and electronic properties of pristine and defected CNT are in good agreement with the reported research studies. The results indicate that pyramidalization angles (θ_p) at C atoms are altered in the presence of the SW defects. The overall increment of θ_p suggests that the reactivity has increased at the defective regions. In the case of CNT with one SW defect (CNTSW1), the central C–C bond of the SW defect is the most chemically reactive site. Our results establish that pristine CNT is a semiconductor when the LSER and DSER are adsorbed (with the band gap of 0.30 eV and 0.32 eV, respectively). The LSER-adsorbing CNT with two SW defects (CNTSW2) is a semiconductor with a reduced band gap (0.41 eV), while the DSER-adsorbing CNTSW2 is an n-type semiconductor (with a band gap of 0.70 eV). The optical properties are inferred from the dielectric functions of the CNTs. The most remarkable result belongs to the CNTSW2; the imaginary part of the CNTSW2 dielectric function can sensitively distinguish the chirality of the SER amino acid.

     

Comparison of the properties of waterborne polyurethane/multiwalled carbon nanotube and acid‐treated multiwalled carbon nanotube composites prepared by in situ polymerization

A series of waterborne polyurethane (WBPU)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) and WBPU/nitric acid treated multiwalled carbon nanotube (A‐CNT) composites were prepared by in situ polymerization in an aqueous medium. The optimum nitric acid treatment time was about 0.5 h. The effects of the CNT and A‐CNT contents on the dynamic mechanical thermal properties, mechanical properties, hardness, electrical conductivity, and antistatic properties of the two kinds of composites were compared. The tensile strength and modulus, the glass‐transition temperatures of the soft and hard segments (T_gs and T_gh, respectively), and ΔT_g (T_gh − T_gs) of WBPU for both composites increased with increasing CNT and A‐CNT contents. However, these properties of the WBPU/A‐CNT composites were higher than those of the WBPU/CNT composites with the same CNT content. The electrical conductivities of the WBPU/CNT1.5 and WBPU/A‐CNT1.5 composites containing 1.5 wt % CNTs (8.0 × 10⁻⁴ and 1.1 × 10⁻³ S/cm) were nearly 8 and 9 orders of magnitude higher than that of WBPU (2.5 × 10⁻¹² S/cm), respectively. The half‐life of the electrostatic charge (τ_1/2) values of the WBPU/CNT0.1 and WBPU/A‐CNT0.1 composites containing 0.1 wt % CNTs were below 10 s, and the composites had good antistatic properties. From these results, A‐CNT was found to be a better reinforcer than CNT. These results suggest that WBPU/A‐CNT composites prepared by in situ polymerization have high potential as new materials for waterborne coatings with good physical, antistatic, and conductive properties. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3973–3985, 2005     

Integrated QMMM and Monte Carlo methods for analysis of adsorptive interactions between goethite cluster,carbon nanotubes,and arsenate

Iron‐immobilized nanoporous carbon is a well‐known adsorbent used in treating arsenic‐contaminated waters. In this contribution, we present findings on the adsorptive interactions and dynamics of arsenate–goethite cluster ([FeO(OH)]₆) with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using hybridized quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QMMM) calculations. The CNTs adsorption mechanism is of interest since a better understanding of the fundamental interactions between arsenate, goethite, and carbon surfaces would translate to advances in CNT‐based adsorbent production and utilization. Novel applications of general amber force field (GAFF) and isobaric‐isothermal Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo (NpT‐GEMC) methods are described. By the abovementioned methods, we postulate that the [FeO(OH)]₆/CNT‐2.3 (diameter 2.3 nm ‐ mesoporous) system enhances the qualitative (i.e., improved chemisorption) rather than the quantitative adsorptive aspect (i.e., total ions adsorbed) in comparison to the [FeO(OH)]₆/CNT‐1.6 (diameter 1.6 nm ‐ microporous) system.     

Solvent effect on the linkage isomerism in [Fe(CO)4(NCS)]− and [Fe(CO)4(SCN)]− anions: A theoretical investigation

The present study illustrated the stability of linkage isomers of [Fe(CO)₄(NCS)]^? and [Fe(CO)₄(SCN)]^? by the use of PBE quantum method. It also investigated the polarity of solvent effect on dipole moment, structural parameters, and frontier orbital energies of complexes. The results indicated that the polarity of solvent had a significant effect on the frontier orbital energies and HOMO-LUMO gap. The character of Fe-C bonds of molecules was analyzed by Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Back-bonding effect in these bonds was explored with calculation of quadrupole polarization of carbon atom by QTAIM analysis. Also, ¹⁴N NQR parameters were used for the illustration of Fe-NCS and Fe-SCN bonds.     

Selective electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to ethanol via a relay catalytic platform

Efficient electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to ethanol is of great importance, but remains a challenge because it involves the transfer of multiple proton–electron pairs and carbon–carbon coupling. Herein, we report a CoO-anchored N-doped carbon material composed of mesoporous carbon (MC) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) as a catalyst for CO₂ electroreduction. The faradaic efficiencies of ethanol and current density reached 60.1% and 5.1 mA cm⁻², respectively. Moreover, the selectivity for ethanol products was extremely high among the products produced from CO₂. A proposed mechanism is discussed in which the MC–CNT/Co catalyst provides a relay catalytic platform, where CoO catalyzes the formation of CO* intermediates which spill over to MC–CNT for carbon–carbon coupling to form ethanol. The high selectivity for ethanol is attributed mainly to the highly selective carbon–carbon coupling active sites on MC–CNT.

The relay catalytic platform is very efficient and selective for CO₂ electroreduction to ethanol.     

通过调变碳纳米管大π体系与含氧官能团的共轭作用以改变碳纳米管的催化性能

选取碳纳米管(CNT)催化剂催化丙烷氧化脱氢作为模型反应,通过系统研究CNT上多种活性氧位的微观结构,以及对其电子结构的表征,发现通过调控CNT大π体系与含氧官能团之间的共轭效应可以改变CNT的催化活性.CNT体系充当一个电子存储器,通过活性位与CNT的离域效应向活性位提供或夺取电子改变反应活性.对于丙烷氧化脱氢,当电子从CNT流向官能团时,第一步C-H断键活性提高,但反应过程中生成的中间体过于稳定将导致CNT催化剂活性位被占据,从而抑制第二步C-H活化生成丙烯.反之,当电子从官能团流向CNT时,第一步C-H断键活性较低,生成的中间体较不稳定,较易生成丙烯.因此,可以通过调控CNT与官能团之间的电子共轭效应来平衡两步C-H键的活化.这些结果有助于从微观尺度上理解CNT催化剂活性的来源,并为制备高活性CNT催化剂提供理论指导.     

原子层沉积制备掺氮碳膜修饰的 Pt/CNTs 实现甲醇高效电催化氧化

甲醇燃料电池作为一种清洁、高效的能源转化形式广受关注. 贵金属 Pt 是甲醇燃料电池阳极催化剂不可缺少的活性组分, 但 Pt 价格昂贵, 易与 CO 等中间体强相互作用而中毒失活, 从而限制了甲醇燃料电池的广泛应用. 因此, 如何提高Pt 的利用率成为一个关键问题. 研究表明, 在碳材料载体中掺杂氮元素, 改变了载体本身的表面结构和电子性质, 有利于Pt 颗粒的成核和生长, 可获得尺寸小、分布均匀的 Pt 纳米颗粒, 能显著提升催化反应活性和 Pt 利用率. 然而, 传统的氮掺杂方法需要在高温、高压及氨气条件下进行, 增加了催化剂制备难度和成本.原子层沉积技术是逐层超薄沉积技术, 能够在原子级别精确控制膜的厚度, 既可制备尺度均一、高度可控的纳米粒子,也能实现材料表面的可控超薄修饰. 本课题组利用原子层沉积技术优势, 首先在碳纳米管表面沉积了直径 2 nm 左右的 Pt纳米颗粒, 然后在 Pt 纳米颗粒外表面超薄修饰聚酰亚胺膜, 通过后处理得到多孔掺氮碳膜修饰的 Pt/CNTs 催化剂. 碳膜的厚度可简单通过调控聚酰亚胺膜的沉积厚度来控制. 结果表明, 适当厚度的碳膜修饰 Pt/CNTs 催化剂可显著提升其甲醇电氧化性能, 电流密度可达商业 20% Pt/C 的 2.7 倍, 催化剂稳定性也显著改善. 然而碳膜修饰过厚会导致催化剂活性降低.通过计算催化剂电化学活性表面积发现, 超薄修饰碳膜后催化剂活性表面积有所降低, 这是由于碳膜的覆盖导致表面 Pt原子数减少. 修饰前后催化剂颗粒尺度变化不大, 推测催化剂活性的提高与形成了有利于催化反应的 Pt-碳膜界面有关.然而, 当碳膜修饰层过厚时, 会导致反应物分子难以扩散到 Pt 颗粒表面, 使催化剂活性降低. 预吸附单层 CO 溶出实验结果表明, 多孔掺氮碳膜超薄修饰 Pt/CNTs 催化剂后, CO 氧化峰的起始电位和峰值电位都向低电位处偏移, 这表明 Pt 表面吸附的 CO 在较低电位下即可被氧化, CO 更容易从 Pt 表面移除, 从而提高了催化剂的抗 CO 毒化能力. X 射线光电子能谱实验结果进一步表明, 经多孔掺氮碳膜修饰后, Pt 的 4f 电子向高结合能处偏移, 表明 Pt 原子周围的电子密度减小, 从而弱化了 Pt 对 CO 吸附的σ-π键反馈作用, 即减弱了 Pt 原子对 CO 的吸附, 这是导致掺氮碳膜修饰后催化剂活性及稳定性都大幅提高的原因.     

NiSe2 nanoparticles encapsulated in CNTs covered and N-doped TiN/carbon nanofibers as a binder-free anode for advanced sodium-ion batteries

Metal selenides are promising anodes for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to the high theoretical capacity through conversion reaction mechanism. However, developing metal selenides with superior electrochemical sodium-ion storage performance is still a great challenge. In this work, a novel composite material of free-standing NiSe₂ nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped TiN/carbon composite nanofibers with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in-situ grown on the surface (NiSe₂@N-TCF/CNTs) is prepared by electrospinning and pyrolysis technique. In this composite materials, NiSe₂ nanoparticles on the surface of carbon nanofibers were encapsulated into CNTs, thus avoiding aggregation. The in-situ grown CNTs not only improve the conductivity but also act as a buffer to accommodate the volume expansion. TiN inside the nanofibers further enhances the conductivity and structural stability of carbon-based nanofibers. When directly used as anode for SIBs, the NiSe₂@N-TCF/CNT electrode delivered a reversible capacity of 392.1 mAh/g after 1000 cycles and still maintained 334.4 mAh/g even at a high rate of 2 A/g. The excellent sodium-ion storage performance can be attributed to the fast Na⁺ diffusion and transfer rate and the pseudocapacitance dominated charge storage mechanism, as is evidenced by kinetic analysis. The work provides a novel approach to the fabrication of high-performance anode materials for other batteries.     

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.     

Electrochemical lithiation and de-lithiation of carbon nanotube-Sn2Sb nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with Sn₂Sb alloy nanoparticles were prepared by KBH₄ reduction of SnCl₂ and SbCl₃ precursors in the presence of CNTs. SEM and TEM examinations showed that most of the Sn–Sb alloy nanoparticles were present in high dispersion in the CNT web, while others were deposited directly on the outside surface of the carbon nanotubes. Constant current charge and discharge tests using the nanocomposites as Li⁺ storage compounds showed higher specific capacities than pristine CNTs and better cyclability than unsupported Sn₂Sb particles. The first cycle de-lithiation capacity of 580 mAh/g from a CNT–56 wt%Sn₂Sb nanocomposite was nevertheless reduced to 372 mAh/g after 80 deep charge and discharge cycles. The uniform dispersion of Sn₂Sb alloy in the CNT web and on the surface of CNTs have substantially improved the usability of the Sn₂Sb particles to the extent that the nanocomposites of CNTs and Sn₂Sb may be considered as a candidate anode material for Li-ion batteries.     

氮掺杂碳纳米管负载Co3O4氧还原电催化剂的制备与性能

以碳纳米管(CNT)为原料,通过负载维生素B₁₂,简单热解得到了一种氮掺杂碳纳米管(N/CNT)负载低含量Co₃O₄纳米颗粒的氧还原电催化剂(Co₃O₄@N/CNT)。得益于均匀分散的Co₃O₄纳米颗粒以及氮掺杂,Co₃O₄@N/CNT表现出了优异的氧还原催化性能,其半波电位达到了0.844 V(vs RHE),超越了商业Pt/C(0.820 V(vs RHE))。与Pt/C相比,基于Co₃O₄@N/CNT组装的锌-空气电池表现出了更优的放电性能和循环稳定性。     

The self‐consistent charge density functional tight‐binding theory study of carbon adatoms using tuned Hubbard U parameters

The self‐consistent charge density functional tight‐binding (DFTB) theory is a useful tool for realizing the electronic structures of large molecular complex systems. In this study, the electronic structure of C₆₁ formed by fullerene C₆₀ with a carbon adatom is analyzed, using the fully localized limit and pseudo self‐interaction correction methods of DFTB to adjust the Hubbard U parameter (DFTB + U). The results show that both the methods used to adjust U can significantly reduce the molecular orbital energy of occupied states localized on the defect carbon atom and improve the gap between highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO) of C₆₁. This work will provide a methodological reference point for future DFTB calculations of the electronic structures of carbon materials.     

氮掺杂碳纳米管负载Co3O4氧还原电催化剂的制备与性能

以碳纳米管(CNT)为原料,通过负载维生素B₁₂,简单热解得到了一种氮掺杂碳纳米管(N/CNT)负载低含量Co₃O₄纳米颗粒的氧还原电催化剂(Co₃O₄@N/CNT)。得益于均匀分散的Co₃O₄纳米颗粒以及氮掺杂,Co₃O₄@N/CNT表现出了优异的氧还原催化性能,其半波电位达到了0.844 V(vs RHE),超越了商业Pt/C(0.820 V(vs RHE))。与Pt/C相比,基于Co₃O₄@N/CNT组装的锌-空气电池表现出了更优的放电性能和循环稳定性。     

Structures and Bonding Situation of Iron Complexes of Group‐13 Half‐Sandwich ECp* (E = B to Tl) Based on DFT Calculations

Quantum chemical calculations at the BP86 level with various basis sets (SVP, TZVPP, and TZ2P+) were carried out for the Fe(CO)₄ of group‐13 half‐sandwich ECp* [Fe(CO)₄‐ECp*] ( Fe4‐E ) (E = B to Tl). The chemical bonding of the Fe(CO)₄‐ECp* bond was analyzed with charge‐ and energy decomposition methods. The calculated equilibrium structures of complexes Fe4‐E show that the ligands ECp* are bonded in an end‐on way to the fragment Fe(CO)₄ in Fe4‐E with E = B to Ga. The compound Fe4‐In has a distorted end‐on ligand InCp*. In contrast, Fe4‐Tl has a side‐on bonded ligand TlCp*. The calculated bond dissociation energies (BDEs) suggest that the bond in the iron group‐13 half‐sandwich complexes Fe4‐E decreases from Fe4‐B to Fe4‐Tl . Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis of the bonding situation reveals that the Fe(CO)₄←ECp* donation in Fe4‐E comes from the σ lone‐pair orbital of ECp*. Bonding analysis indicates that the ligand ECp* in complexes are strong σ donors and the NOCV pairs of the bonding show small π‐back donation from the Fe(CO)₄ to the ECp* ligands.