A determination method of pristine multiwall carbon nanotubes in rat lungs after intratracheal instillation exposure by combustive oxidation-nondispersive infrared analysis

This paper describes a method for determination of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in rat lungs after intratracheal instillation exposure. The MWCNTs were quantitatively decomposed to CO₂ by combustive oxidation and were then determined by non-dispersive infrared analysis. Samples were pretreated by acid digestion, muffle ashing and in situ preheating to remove interferences due to coexisting biological carbon from the lung tissue sample, while preserving the MWCNTs as in its their original form. The preservation was confirmed by transmission electron microscopic observation of the pretreated samples of exposed lung tissues and by the fact that the recoveries of MWCNTs spiked to the lung tissues were close to 100%. The detection limit for MWCNTs obtained by the proposed method was 0.30 μg and the repeatability as expressed by the relative standard deviation was 5.6% (n = 4). The method was sufficiently sensitive and precise to apply to real samples of rat lung to investigate the in vivo persistence of intratracheally instilled MWCNTs. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this type of sample pretreatment and direct determination of pristine MWCNTs without modification or tagging. Conventional indirect methods use tagging with other compounds or metal impurities in the CNTs for detection, and the detachment of these tags can increase uncertainties in the determination of the CNTs. The tags can also change how the CNTs persist in vivo, which can lead to an incorrect understanding of the persistence of pristine CNTs in vivo.     

纳米三氧化钨复合催化剂的制备及对甲醇电催化性能

采用浸渍沉淀法制备出WO₃-碳纳米管(WO₃-CNTs)纳米复合材料, 微波辅助乙二醇法在其表面负载活性成分Pt, 得到纳米Pt/WO₃-CNTs 催化剂. 采用X射线衍射(XRD), 透射电子显微镜(TEM)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等测试手段对催化剂的结构和形貌进行表征, 结果表明Pt 纳米粒子为面心立方晶体结构, 粒径大小在3-5 nm之间, 均匀地分布在WO₃-CNTs 纳米复合材料表面, 同时发现催化剂中的Pt 主要以金属态的形式存在. 采用循环伏安和计时电流法研究了在酸性溶液中Pt/WO₃-CNTs 催化剂对甲醇的电催化氧化性能, 结果表明Pt/WO₃-CNTs 催化剂比用硝酸处理的碳纳米管载铂催化剂(Pt/CNTs)对甲醇呈现出更高的电催化氧化活性和抗CO中毒性能.     

Microwave-irradiated synthesized platinum nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes for oxidative determination of trace arsenic(III)

Platinum nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes (Pt_nano/CNTs) were rapidly synthesized by microwave radiation, and applied for the oxidative determination of arsenic(III). The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the size of synthesized Pt nanoparticles with nominal diameter of 15 ± 3 nm. Pt_nano/CNTs modified glassy carbon electrode (Pt_nano/CNTs/GCE) exhibited better performance for arsenic(III) analysis than that of Pt nanoparticles modified GCE (Pt_nano/GCE) by electrochemical deposition or Pt foil electrode. Excellent reproducibility of the Pt_nano/CNTs/GCE was obtained with the relative standard deviation (RSD) of 3.5% at 20 repeated analysis of 40 μM As(III), while the RSD was 9.8% for Pt_nano/GCE under the same conditions. The limit of determination (LOD) of the Pt_nano/CNTs/GCE was 0.12 ppb, which was 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than that of Pt_nano/GCE or Pt foil electrode.     

Electroless Deposition of Thionin onto Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Single Wall and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes: Improvement of the Electrochemical Reversibility and Stability

A simple procedure was developed to prepare a glassy carbon electrode modified with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and thionin. Abrasive immobilization of CNTs on a GC electrode was achieved by gently rubbing the electrode surface on a filter paper supporting carbon nanotubes, then immersing the GC/CNTs‐modified electrode into a thionin solution (electroless deposition) for a short period of time (5–50 s for MWCNTs and 5–120 s for SWCNTs ). Cyclic voltammograms of the resulting modified electrode show stable and a well defined redox couple with surface confined characteristic at wide pH range 2–12. The electrochemical reversibility and stability of modified electrode prepared with incorporation of thionin into CNTs film was compared with usual methods for attachment of thionin to electrode surfaces such as electropolymerization and adsorption on the surface of preanodized electrodes. The formal potential of redox couple (E°′) shifts linearly toward the negative direction with increasing solution pH. The surface coverage of thionin immobilized on CNTs glassy carbon electrode was approximately 1.95×10^?10 mol cm^?2 and 3.2×10^?10 mol cm^?2 for MWCNTs and SWCNTs, respectively. The transfer coefficient (α) was calculated to be 0.3 and 0.35 and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants (K_s) were 65 s^?1 and 55 s^?1 for MWCNTs/thionin and SWCNTs/thionin‐modified GC electrodes, respectively. The results clearly show a great facilitation of the electron transfer between thionin and CNTs adsorbed on the electrode surface. Excellent electrochemical reversibility of redox couple, high stability, technically simple and possibility of preparation at short period of time are of great advantages of this procedure for modification of electrodes.     

Oxygen reduction reaction on (Pt–NbPO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>)/MWCNTs electrodes prepared by microwave irradiation method

(Pt–NbPO _x )/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with different NbPO _x MWCNTs were prepared by a simple microwave irradiation method. The (Pt–NbPO _x )/MWCNTs catalyst was characterized, and the kinetics toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was determined, compared with that of Pt/MWCNTs catalyst. It was found that 10 wt% NbPO _x was the best loading in terms of current density. The number of exchange electrons for the ORR was found to be close to four on both (Pt–NbPO _x )/MWCNTs and Pt/MWCNTs.     

Synthesis and modification of multi-walled carbon nano-tubes (MWCNTs) for water treatment applications

Synthesis of MWCNTs by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of acetylene is investigated at different temperatures. Fe-Co/CaCO₃ catalyst/support prepared by wet impregnation method is used. CaCO₃ was found to be a good support as a high selective material for deposition of CNTs with high purity. The effect of temperature on catalyst/support phases and crystal size was identified by using XRD. The crystallite size was decreased with increase temperature. The effect of growing time and temperature on carbon yield was studied and the deposited MWCNTs increased with temperature. The structure and purity of synthesized CNTs at different temperatures was examined by TEM and the effect of temperature on the surface area of the synthesized MWCNTs was investigated, the surface area decreased as the temperature increased. The prepared CNTs were purified using chemical oxidation method and the effect of acid treatment on CNTs surface was examined by TEM and SEM. The function groups produced at CNTs surface were investigated by using FTIR spectroscopy also the effect of CNTs preparation temperature on FTIR spectra was studied. The functionalized CNTs were used for adsorption of some heavy metals and for removal of some organic dyes from water.     

Superhydrophobic surface fabricated by modifying silica coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites

A superhydrophobic surface with maximum static water contact angle of 156° and sliding angle of 3.5° was fabricated by modifying the silica coated multiwalled carbon nanotube composites (SiO₂/MWCNTs) using a silane coupling agent vinyltriethoxysilane. The structures of SiO₂/MWCNTs and superhydrophobic surface were investigated by infrared spectrometer and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that silica had been successfully grafted onto MWCNTs and the SiO₂/MWCNTs had been chemical modified by vinyl triethoxy successfully. The morphology of our prepared superhydrophobic surface, investigated by scanning electron microscopy, showed a characteristic rough structure. The effects of pH value and exposure time on the stability of the superhydrophobic surface were also investigated. The superhydrophobic film shows reliable acid and alkali resistance and aging resistance, indicating that it will have a wide range of applications.     

Small‐Sized Tungsten Nitride Particles Strongly Anchored on Carbon Nanotubes and their Use as Supports for Pt for Methanol Electro‐oxidation

The anchoring of small‐sized WN (tungsten nitride) nanoparticles (NPs) with good dispersion on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offers an effective means of obtaining promising materials for use in electrocatalysis. Herein, an effective method based on grinding treatment followed by a nitridation process is proposed to realize this goal. In the synthesis, a solution containing H₄[SiO₄(W₃O₉)₄] (SiW₁₂) and CNTs modified with polyethylenimine (PEI‐CNTs) was ground to dryness. Small‐sized WN NPs were anchored onto the CNTs with good dispersion after calcination under NH₃. Under hydrothermal assembly conditions (absence of grinding), WN particles of larger size and with inferior dispersion were obtained, demonstrating the important role of the grinding process. The benefit of the small‐sized WN has been demonstrated by using WN/CNTs as a support for Pt to catalyze the methanol electro‐oxidation reaction. The mass activity of Pt‐WN/CNTs‐G‐70 (where G denotes the grinding treatment, and 70 is the loading amount (%) of WN in the WN/CNTs) was evaluated as about 817 mA mg^?1_Pt, better that those of commercial Pt/C (340 mA mg^?1_Pt) and Pt/CNTs (162 mA mg^?1_Pt). The Pt‐WN/CNTs‐G also displayed good CO tolerance. In contrast, Pt‐WN/CNTs prepared without the grinding process displayed an activity of 344 mA mg^?1_Pt, verifying the key role of grinding treatment in the preparation of WN/CNTs with good co‐catalytic effect.     

Promoting performance and CO tolerance of Pt nanocatalyst for direct methanol fuel cells by supporting on high-surface-area silicon carbide

SiC-supported Pt nanocatalyst was prepared by electrodeposition of Pt nanoparticles on the surface of high-surface-area SiC, which was fabricated by a versatile carbothermal reduction method. Characterization studies show that such synthesis protocol leads to well distribution of Pt nanoparticles, with a mean particle size of 2.9 nm on the support. This catalyst has been electrochemically characterized toward methanol oxidation, which exhibits higher catalytic activity, durability, and electrochemical active surface area than the electrodeposited Pt on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Further investigation reveals that the SiC-supported Pt also shows superior CO tolerance to Pt/MWCNTs. These results suggest that high-surface-area SiC could be a promising supporting material for constructing high-performance methanol oxidation electrocatalysts.     

Electrochemical deposition of platinum nanoparticles in multiwalled carbon nanotube–Nafion composite for methanol electrooxidation

Platinum nanoparticles were successfully deposited within a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)–Nafion matrix by a cyclic voltammetry method. A Pt(IV) complex was reduced to platinum nanoparticles on the surface of MWCNTs. The resulting Pt nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The Pt–MWCNT–Nafion nanocomposite film-modified glassy carbon electrode had a sharp hydrogen desorption peak at about −0.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl (3 M) in a solution of 0.5 M H₂SO₄, which is directly related to the electrochemical activity of the Pt nanoparticles presented on the surface of MWCNTs. The electrocatalytic properties of the Pt–MWCNT–Nafion nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode for methanol electrooxidation were investigated by cyclic voltammetry in a 2 M CH₃OH + 1 M H₂SO₄ solution. In comparison with the Pt-coated glassy carbon electrode and the Pt–Nafion modified glassy carbon electrode, the Pt–MWCNT–Nafion-modified electrode had excellent electrocatalytic activity toward methanol electrooxidation. The stability of the Pt–MWCNT–Nafion nanocomposite-modified electrode had also been evaluated.     

CNT-based organic-inorganic composite materials with optoelectronic functionality

This paper focuses on the fabrication of organic-inorganic composite materials with optoelectronic functionality based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by chemical and physical modifications. The one-dimensionally (1D) ordered composites of rare earth phthalocyanine compounds (RePc₂) encapsulated by MWCNTs were obtained using a simple capillary filling method. The CNT-templated assembly of RePc₂ nanowires was performed by a phase-separation method. Two other kinds of organic-inorganic 1D-ordered optoelectronic composites were prepared using the template method: coating MWCNTs with a fluorescent poly(tripheny lamine) related co-polymer can be realized via a facile phase-separation strategy: 1D hy brid of bamboo-shaped CNTs covalently bound to RePc₂. The relationship between the microstructure of the obtained 1D-ordered composites and optoelectronic properties was studied, and it was found that these ordered composites exhibited enhanced photoconductivity due to the charge transfer between the composite components.     

Pt/CNTs催化剂的制备及其催化臭氧化活性研究

以碳纳米管(CNTs)为催化剂载体, 以H₂PtCl₆•6H₂O为贵金属活性组分前驱物, 采用等体积浸渍法制备了Pt/CNTs催化剂. 以草酸为目标污染物, 考察了所制备催化剂的催化活性, 并采用SEM, XRD和XPS等分析方法对催化剂进行表征. 对活性组分Pt的负载量、氢还原温度和热处理方式进行了研究, 确定了适宜的制备条件为Pt负载量1.0%、氢还原温度350 ℃. 研究表明, 在本实验条件下, 单独臭氧氧化、碳纳米管载体催化臭氧化和Pt/CNTs催化臭氧化分别能去除溶液中3.0%, 72.9%和97.9%的草酸. Pt的负载明显地提高碳纳米管催化臭氧化的效果. XRD分析显示催化剂的活性组分Pt以单质Pt⁰的形式存在; 与氢还原过程相比, 在空气气氛中焙烧制备的Pt/CNTs催化剂表面Pt的结晶度过高, 而且XPS结果表明此催化剂表面的Pt有化学吸附氧存在, 导致催化活性降低.     

Pyrolysis of chloroplatinic acid to directly immobilize platinum nanoparticles onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Platinum nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Pt/MWCNTs) were first prepared by simple pyrolysis of H₂PtCl₆ solution. The structure of Pt/MWCNTs was characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the results showed that the diameter of the obtained platinum nanoparticles immobilized on MWCNTs was below 50 nm, although the obtained platinum nanoparticles were not well uniformly dispersed on the surface of MWCNTs. The electrocatalytic performance of Pt/MWCNTs electrode for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) was also investigated by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), indicating that it was possible to employ the obtained platinum nanoparticles as anode material in fuel cell. Developing a novel and simple method to prepare platinum nanoparticles onto MWCNTs is the main contribution of this letter. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2008, Vol. 44, No. 8, pp. 1050–1053. The text was submitted the authors in English.     

Surface Polymers on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes for Selective Extraction and Electrochemical Determination of Rhodamine B in Food Samples

In this study, we combine magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE), with the screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified by a molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) for sensitive and selective extraction and electrochemical determination of Rhodamine B in food samples. A magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) was carried out using magnetic poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) synthetized on the surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). An MIP was prepared on the surface of MWCNTs in the presence of titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) modifying the SPCE for the rapid electrochemical detection of Rhodamine B. The MIPs synthesis was optimized by varying the activated titanium oxide (TiO₂) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) amounts. The MSPE and electrochemical detection conditions were optimized as well. The present method exhibited good selectivity, high sensitivity, and good reproducibility towards the determination of Rhodamine B, making it a suitable method for the determination of Rhodamine B in food samples.     

Surfactants for CNTs dispersion in zirconia-based ceramic matrix by sol–gel method

Zirconium oxide is a ceramic material widely studied due to its mechanical and electrical properties that can be improved with the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as reinforcement. The synthesis of CNT/zirconia composites by sol–gel method is still very scarce, due to the hydrophobic nature of the CNTs, being their dispersion in aqueous medium an intrinsic difficulty to the synthesis. In this work, we present a sol–gel synthesis for MWCNTs/zirconia composites, where two kinds of surfactants, sodium and ammonium stearates dissolved in water (1 g/100 mL), were used as dispersant agents for multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). They are cheap and easy to prepare, and were very effective in dispersing the MWCNTs. Different quantities of MWCNTs (up to 5 wt%) were added in the solution of stearate/water and this solution with the highly dispersed MWCNTs was added to the zirconia sol–gel, producing composites of MWCNTs/zirconia with different concentrations of MWCNTs. All the powders were heat treated at 300 and 500 °C and the powder characterization was performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The composite MWCNTs/zirconia remained amorphous at 300 °C and presented a tetragonal phase at 500 °C with an average grain size of about 20 ± 3 nm, determined by the Scherrer equation from the XRD patterns. For these crystalline samples, TEM images suggest a more effective interaction between MWCNTs with ZrO₂ matrix, where it can be observed that the carbon nanotubes are fully coated by the matrix.     

Enhanced activity in ethanol oxidation of Pt<Subscript>3</Subscript>Sn electrocatalysts synthesized by microwave irradiation

High surface area carbon supported Pt and Pt₃Sn catalysts were synthesized by microwave irradiation and investigated in the ethanol electro-oxidation reaction. The catalysts were obtained using a modified polyol method in an ethylene glycol solution and were characterized in terms of structure, morphology and composition by employing XRD, STM and EDX techniques. The diffraction peaks of Pt₃Sn/C catalyst in XRD patterns are shifted to lower 2θ values with respect to the corresponding peaks at Pt/C catalyst as a consequence of alloy formation between Pt and Sn. Particle size analysis from STM and XRD shows that Pt and Pt₃Sn clusters are of a small diameter (∼2 nm) with a narrow size distribution. Pt₃Sn/C catalyst is highly active in ethanol oxidation with the onset potential shifted for ∼150 mV to more negative values and with ∼2 times higher currents in comparison to Pt/C.     

Insight into the Origin of the Positive Effects of Imidazolium Salt on Electrocatalytic Activity: Ionic Carbon Nanotubes as Metal‐Free Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

We report remarkable metal‐free electrocatalytic activities of the imidazolium salt‐functionalized ionic multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (IM‐f‐MWCNTs) in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The electrocatalytic activity can be attributed to the induced polarization of the π‐electrons of CNTs, thus accelerating interfacial electron transfer. The zwitterionic MWCNTs functionalized with poly(vinylimidazolium sulfonate) have a more positive surface charge and exhibit a better electrocatalytic activity than the poly(vinylbutylimidazolium chloride)‐functionalized MWCNTs. The IM‐f‐MWCNTs showed better fuel selectivity than the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst.     

Polymerized ionic liquid functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polyetherimide composites

Thin polyetherimide (PEI) films containing 0.1–3 wt.% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), have been prepared from three types of MWCNTs, namely pristine, oxidized and polymerized ionic liquid (PIL) functionalized CNTs. Oxidized and PIL functionalized CNTs (CNT–PIL) showed better dispersion in the matrix compared to pristine CNTs. For CNT–PIL, alignment of CNTs has been observed in the matrix. Regardless of the type of CNTs, their incorporation led to an increased thermal stability of the polymer matrix. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that storage modulus increased by up to 25% (3 wt.% CNT–PIL) and an increase in the height of the damping peaks (tan δ). The addition of CNTs did not have any significant influence on the tensile properties and T_g of the polymer, and the electrical conductivity did not decrease in the case of modified CNTs.     

Microwave-assisted aqua regia digestion for determining platinum,palladium, rhodium and lead in catalyst materials

This study investigated a microwave-assisted aqua regia digestion of catalyst samples prior to the determination of Pt, Pd, Rh and Pb by ICP-OES. While optimising the method, the effect of digestion temperature on the digestion efficiency was investigated. Few aqua regia digestions were also carried out using a high pressure asher, with a digestion temperature of 280 °C. In addition, XRD (X-ray diffractometry) was used to characterise digestion residue. The study showed that accurate and reliable results for Pt, Pd, Rh and Pb in a recycled monolith catalyst (NIST SRM 2557) were obtained by ICP-OES after the microwave assisted aqua regia digestion. The amounts of Pt, Pd and Rh in the prepared catalyst samples were also at the expected levels. Furthermore, the results indicated that the main part of the impurities and supporting material elements can be quantitatively extracted from the catalyst samples by using the microwave-assisted aqua regia sample pre-treatment.     

铂纳米颗粒的可见光化学制备及其对p-硝基苯酚催化还原反应

在可见光照射下,以乙二醇（EG）作为还原剂和稳定剂,在多壁碳纳米管（MWCNTs）上一步合成了铂纳米颗粒,成功制备Pt/MWCNTs复合材料,并通过p-硝基苯酚（p-NP）的催化还原反应研究了Pt/MWCNTs的催化性能。用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FT-IR）、X射线衍射（XRD）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）和X射线光电子能谱（XPS）对所制备材料的形貌和晶体结构进行了表征。实验结果显示,可见光照射促进了EG水溶液中[PtCl₄]^2-前驱体的水解。通过金属界面的电子效应,铂前驱体被还原成了均匀分散的平均直径2.1 nm的超小颗粒Pt（Pt ultra-small particles,Pt UPs）。所制备的Pt/MWCNTs能有效地催化p-NP还原为p-氨基苯酚（p-AP）,表现出较高的催化性能,其表观速率常数为0.25 min^-1。Pt/MWCNTs多次使用后没有显著的活性损失,显示出了良好的稳定性。上述实验结果证明,除了传统的紫外光照射等手段以外,可见光照射也同样是制备铂金属催化剂非常有效的方法。而且,催化剂的形貌控制也完全可以通过简单而非复杂的实验条件加以实现。