Improvement of field emission properties from screen‐printed CNTs cathodes by heat treatment in a C2H2/H2 gas mixture

We developed a posttreatment method for the screen‐printed carbon nanotubes (CNTs) cathode to improve its field emission characteristics. The treatment was carried out at 500 °C and 20 kPa for 20 min in the atmosphere of C₂H₂/H₂ (volume ratio 1:2). After the treatment, the field emission characteristics were greatly improved. The turn‐on field lowered from 5.0 to 1.6 V/µm, and the emission current density increased from 2 × 10^?4 to 1.0 mA/cm² at the electric field of 2.6 V/µm. In the mean time, the emission site density and uniformity were significantly increased. Scanning electron microscope images revealed that a new top layer of CNTs film has re‐grown on the surface of the printed CNTs cathode during the treatment. This new re‐grown CNTs layer contributes to the drastic enhancement of field emission from the printed cathode. This heat‐treatment technique is very promising for practical application of CNTs in field emission display. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

酞菁裂解法多壁碳纳米管的制备、表征和应用

In order to investigate the catalytic activity of high temperature treated CoPc toward oxygen reduction, and find the active site of the catalyst, using cobalt (Ⅱ) phthalocyanine (CoPc) as raw material, through thermal chemical vapor deposition method at 850℃ under a current of Ar/H2, two layer well-aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were made. The diameters of the well-aligned carbon nanotubes were distributed in the range of 60～120 nm and the length was about 40 μm. The Co particle with 10 nm in diameter was encapsulated in the CNTs compartment. The products were observed by field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The well-aligned carbon nanotubes were characteriszed by Raman scattering spectrum and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The cyclic voltammetric measurement demonstrates that the CNTs have some effect to prevent the metal nanoparticle encapsulated from eroding rapidly. It is assumed that the small amount of the N element in the CNTs is very necessary for the bamboo-like morphology and the protected action for metal particles against dissolution in the acid medium. The radian of the winding wall should be affected by the amount of the N and the interaction between the N in the carbon network and the metal cluster. In addition, the CNTs greater electrochemically active surface area is a great advantage for any electrocatalytic application.     

Enhancement mechanism of field electron emission properties in hybrid carbon nanotubes with tree- and wing-like features

In this work, the tree-like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with branches of different diameters and the wing-like CNTs with graphitic-sheets of different densities were synthesized by using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The nanostructures of the as-prepared hybrid carbon materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The structural dependence of field electron emission (FEE) property was also investigated. It is found that both of the tree- and wing-like CNTs exhibit a lower turn-on field and higher emission current density than the pristine CNTs, which can be ascribed to the effects of branch size, crystal orientation, and graphitic-sheet density.     

铬酸及硝酸混合液处理以增强碳纳米管场发射

为了修饰碳纳米管(CNTs)的表面型态及改变碳纳米管的表面结构, 进一步增强碳纳米管的场发射特性, 使用铬酸及硝酸的混合溶液对碳纳米管进行后处理. 采用SEM、TEM、Raman 和EDS测试手段对样品的形貌、表面成份组成和微观结构特征进行了表征. 场发射(FE)的数据显示, 经过铬酸及硝酸的混合溶液处理20 min的碳纳米管场发射电流比未经任何处理的碳纳米管场发射电流明显增加一个数量级以上, 场发射电流增强的主要原因为样品上的碳纳米管的表面型态的改变, 造成碳纳米管场发射增强因子茁的增大. 与单独使用硝酸溶液后处理比较, 使用铬酸及硝酸的混合溶液对碳纳米管进行后处理可以得到较高的场发射电流及较低的起始电场. 铬酸及硝酸的混合溶液处理方法能经济且有效增强碳纳米管的场发射特性.     

Quantitative analysis of electron field-emission characteristics of individual carbon nanotubes: the importance of the tip structure

Electron field-emission measurements on individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were performed inside the transmission electron microscope (TEM). The field-emission characteristics of CNTs with different tip structures were compared, and their field conversion factor and emission area were studied systematically. It was found that the field-emission characteristics of a CNT depend sensitively on its tip structure, and in particular an opened CNT was shown to be superior to a capped CNT. High-resolution TEM observations revealed that the tip of an opened CNT may, in general, be regarded as being composed of irregular shaped graphitic sheets, and these graphitic sheets have been found to improve dramatically the field-emission characteristics, but the sharp edge may result in larger error in the calculated emission area. The influence of uncertainty in the work function of the CNTs on the field conversion factor and emission area calculation was also investigated.     

激光溅射法制备Pt/CNTs催化剂用于邻氯硝基苯的液相加氢反应

采用激光溅射法制备了碳纳米管负载铂(Pt/CNTs)催化剂, 并利用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线能量散射谱(EDS)、X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等表征手段研究了Pt粒子在碳纳米管表面存在的状态、组成、结构等性质. 讨论了Pt/CNTs催化剂的不同制备条件对催化剂结构的影响, 并考察了催化剂对邻氯硝基苯液相加氢合成邻氯苯胺反应的加氢性能. 研究结果表明, 在激光电压为250 V, 绝对压力为300 Pa, 载体温度为25 ℃条件下制备的Pt/CNTs催化剂, 在不加脱卤抑制剂, 反应温度为60 ℃和氢气压力为1.0 MPa的条件下, 邻氯硝基苯转化率可以达到99.7%以上, 邻氯苯胺选择性可达到98.2%以上, 表现出较高的加氢性能和抑制脱卤性能.     

Preparation and Characterization of Poly(methyl methacrylate)-functionalized Carboxyl Multi-wall Carbon Nanotubes

"An in situ polymerization process was used to prepare poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-functionalized carboxyl multi-walled carbon nanotubes using carboxylate carbon nanotubes and methyl methacrylate as reactants and benzoyl peroxide as an initiator agent. The functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes were characterized using transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and Raman. The results indicate that the PMMA chains are covalently linked with the surface of carboxylate carbon nanotubes. The surface morphology is controlled by the content of carboxylate carbon nanotubes in the reactants. The PMMA functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes are soluble in deuterated chloroform. The storage modulus and tanffi magnitude increase as the content of CCNTs increases up to 0.3%."     

Enhancement of Field Emission Characteristics for Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Treated with a Mixed Solution of Chromic Trioxide and Nitric Acid

A simple acid treatment method was applied to functionalize the surface and to modify the structures of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) grown on silicon substrates using a mixed solution of chromic trioxide (CrO₃) and nitric acid (HNO₃). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) were employed to investigate the mechanism causing the modified field emission (FE) properties of the CNT films. After 20 min of CrO₃+HNO₃ treatment, the emitted currents were enhanced by more than one order of magnitude compared with those of the untreated CNTs. This large increase in emitted current can be attributed to the favorable surface morphologies, open-ended structures, and highly curved CNT surfaces in the CNT films. These factors altogether caused an increase in the field enhancement factors of CNTs. We also demonstrated that using a mixed solution of CrO₃+HNO₃ post-treatment exhibited a higher emission current and a lower turn-on electric field than in the CNTs treated with HNO₃. The method provides a simple, economical, and effective way to enhance the CNT field emission properties.     

CNTs/TiO2多孔复合膜的组装及光催化性能

提出了一种在掺氟的SnO2(FTO)导电玻璃上组装碳纳米管(CNTs)/Fe-Ni/TiO2多孔复合膜光催化剂的新方法.采用喷涂热解法(SPD)将掺杂镍和铁的含有嵌段聚合物P123的二氧化钛前驱体溶胶涂覆在FTO导电玻璃上,制备Fe-Ni/TiO2多孔膜,再采用化学气相沉积法(CVD)在Fe-Ni/TiO2膜上原位生长CNTs,得到CNTs/Fe-Ni/TiO2多孔复合膜光催化剂.CNTs/Fe-Ni/TiO2复合膜具有多级孔结构特征,在TiO2表面原位生长的CNTs不但具有较好的石墨化结构,且CNTs较均匀地分布在整个膜层的孔中.考察了CNTs/Fe-Ni/TiO2复合膜光催化剂的结构和性能,并通过降解甲基橙溶液评价了复合膜的光催化活性.结果表明,CNTs的复合及铁和镍的掺杂等改性显著提高了TiO2膜材料的光催化活性.     

纳米CaCO3负载过渡金属CVD法制备多壁碳纳米管的研究

以纳米碳酸钙粉体为载体,用浸渍法制备了可用于化学气相沉积(CVD)法制备碳纳米管的高产率催化剂.应用FESEM,HRTEM,TEM,XRD和激光拉曼谱对产物进行了表征.结果表明,由于纳米碳酸钙具有较大的比表面积,可高密度地承载催化剂活性组分.在碳纳米管生长初期,处于缓慢分解状态的纳米碳酸钙才能有效地起到载体作用,且反应温度为700～750℃时,碳纳米管的产率较高.Fe-Co双金属催化剂在700℃,催化生长60min后,可增重10倍,而且产物中无定形碳含量极少.纳米碳酸钙载体易于提纯,用质量分数为30%的硝酸超声提纯粗产品1h,可使纯度提高到97%,且不破坏碳纳米管结构.     

Synthesis of straight and helical carbon nanotubes from catalytic pyrolysis of polyethylene

Straight and helical carbon nanotubes with diameter from 20 to 60 nm have been synthesized through catalytic decomposition of polyethylene in autoclave at 700 °C. The X-ray power diffraction pattern indicates that the products are hexagonal graphite, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) images reveal the morphologies and structures of carbon nanotubes. The effects of reaction temperature, catalyst and maleated polypropylene on the growth of the carbon nanotubes were also discussed, and the growth mechanism of the CNTs was proposed. Pyrolysis of polyethylene is a promising green chemical method for economically producing carbon nanotubes.     

Electron field emission characteristics and field evaporation of a single carbon nanotube

Direct transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations of the field emission and evaporation process of emitting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) shown that the tip structure of the CNT is in general composed of irregular shaped graphitic sheets which extend typically more than 10 nm from the end of the CNT. It is found that the irregular shaped graphitic sheets at the tip of the CNT may greatly enhance the field emission characteristics of the CNT when compared with that having an ideal circular edge. The field evaporation of the CNT proceeds typically via the removal of the irregular shaped graphitic sheets from the tip of the CNT, and field emission characteristics of a CNT depend far more sensitively on the tip structure than on the geometric length of the CNT.     

二组元酞菁固相混合法裂解合成直立碳纳米管

通过向两种金属酞菁的混合物添加一定量的硫粉,在800～950 ℃裂解合成了大面积的直立碳纳米管。采用场发射扫描电镜(FE-SEM)、高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM)和拉曼光谱对产物进行了观察和表征,结果显示：所合成的碳纳米管(直径为15～35 nm,长度为200～800 nm)管身平直,具有很好的石墨化程度,且杂质很少。采用两种金属酞菁((M(Ⅱ)Pc, M=Fe, Co))进行混合裂解时,既可以提供碳源,而且可以产生相当均匀的催化剂颗粒,有利直立碳纳米管的沉积。这种将两种酞菁进行固相混合裂解的方法,相当安全高效,有利于大规模生产直立碳纳米管。     

Preparation of High-Orderly TiO2 Nanotubes in Organic Solution and Characterization of C-doped TiO2

"High-orderly TiO2 nanotube arrays were fabricated by anodic oxidation of pure titanium substrate in organic electrolyte containing fluoride. Different morphological nanotubes of titania were obtained through controlling the different anodization voltages and durations. The length of the longest nanotubes was approximately 60 1m and the length-to-width aspect ratio was about 600. The nanotube layers were then annealed at different temperatures (450, 550, and 650 oC) in air for 2 h. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-Ray (EDS) and UV-Vis spectrometer. The XRD results demonstrated that the as-anodized samples were amorphous and the structure changed to antanse and rutile when the samples were annealed at higher temperature. The EDS microanalysis indicated the presence of carbon in the TiO2 nanotubes. The result of degradation of methylene blue showed clearly that the photocatalytic activity of C-doped TiO2 nanotubes increased by 10%."     

Synthesis,Adsorptive, and Photocatalytic Properties of Carbon Nanotubes/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Nanocomposite Photocatalysts

The carbon nanotubes/TiO₂ (CNTs/TiO₂) composite photocatalysts composed of TiO₂ nanoparticles and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method. The photocatalysts were characterized by a range of analytical techniques including X-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, thermal gravimetric analysis and UV–Vis optical absorption spectra, etc. The amount of TiO₂ nanoparticles growing on CNTs could be tuned by adjusting the dosage of precursor in the reaction solution. Both the adsorptivity and photocatalytic activities of pure CNTs, pure TiO₂, and the CNTs/TiO₂ nanocomposites were tested by the removal of methylene blue from water in dark and under a simulated sunlight, respectively. By comparison, the improved photocatalytic activity of the CNTs/TiO₂ nanocomposite is mainly due to that the CNTs can disperse the active component of TiO₂ nanoparticles, provide a larger the specific surface area, as well as act as an electron sink to accelerate the separation of the photogenerated charges.     

Fabrication of flexible carbon nanotube field emitter arrays by direct microwave irradiation on organic polymer substrate

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were directly synthesized on flexible polymer substrates without damage of polymer by microwave irradiation. Cobalt was used as the catalysts, and the synthesis was done in the atmospheric pressure with an acetylene carbon source. Only 5 s was required for the synthesis of well-graphitized CNTs. Field emission measurements revealed that this flexible CNT field emitter array has a great potential for the flexible field emission displays (FEDs).     

碳纳米管/氧化石墨烯/硫复合正极材料的制备及其电化学性能

以碳纳米管和氧化石墨烯(CNTs/GO)为主体材料, 通过化学还原法制备了CNTs/GO 负载硫的复合正极材料CNTs/GO/S. 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)及透射电子显微镜(TEM)测试表明, CNTs 均匀插层在GO片间, 从而形成三维多孔结构, 有利于电解液的浸润; 活性物质硫均匀地负载在CNTs/GO 表面. 电化学测试表明,CNTs/GO/S复合材料具有高的比容量和良好的循环稳定性: 在1C倍率电流密度下, 复合材料首次放电比容量高达904 mAh·g^-1, 经过50圈循环之后, 复合材料的比容量仍保持在578 mAh·g^-1.     

有序介孔二氧化硅-碳纳米管复合材料载Pt 及其电催化性能

以十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)为结构导向剂, 正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)为硅源, 通过添加碳纳米管(CNTs), 制备介孔二氧化硅包覆碳纳米管网状结构的复合材料(C/Si). X 射线衍射(XRD)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)显示, 介孔二氧化硅的孔道结构高度有序, CNTs 均匀分散于二氧化硅刚性骨架中. 以其为载体微波负载制备了Pt-C/Si-x 纳米粒子催化剂,研究了催化剂在硫酸和甲醇溶液中电催化性能, 结果表明, 具有较高导电性能的复合材料保持了二氧化硅的均匀的孔道结构有利于电解液存储和质子传输, 使得该催化剂显示了良好的电催化活性. 其中碳纳米管添加含量为40 mg 时,催化剂在H₂SO₄ 电解液中的电化学活性面积高达120.9 m²·g^-1, 远大于Pt/CNTs 的电化学活性面积, 对甲醇的催化峰电流也达80.3 mA·cm^-2. 预示其作为直接甲醇燃料电池催化剂载体具有良好的应用前景.     

Bulk synthesis of linear carbon chains confined inside single-wall carbon nanotubes by vacuum discharge

Carbyne, an infinite carbon chain, has attracted much interest and induced significant controversy for many decades. Recently, the presence of linear carbon chains (LCCs), which were confined stably inside double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), has been reported. In this study, we present a novel method to produce LCCs in a film of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Our transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy revealed the formation of a bulk amount of LCCs after electric discharge of CNT films, which were used as field emission cathodes. The LCCs were confined inside single-wall CNTs as well as DWCNTs. Furthermore, two or three LCCs in parallel with each other are encapsulated when the inner diameter of CNT is larger than approximately 1.1 nm.     

Synthesis,stereocomplex crystallization and properties of poly(l‐lactide)/four‐armed star poly(d‐lactide) functionalized carbon nanotubes nanocomposites

Functionalized carbon nanotubes (F‐CNTs) were synthesized through the nucleophilic substitution reaction between four‐armed star poly(d ‐lactide) (4PDLA) and acryl chloride of carbon nanotubes and were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicated that the 4PDLA was successfully grafted onto carbon nanotubes, and it contained 45.5 wt% of 4PDLA. Poly(l ‐lactide) (PLLA) nanocomposites with different F‐CNTs content were prepared by solution casting. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy results showed that F‐CNTs were uniformly dispersed in the nanocomposites. Crystallization behavior and crystal structure of PLLA nanocomposites were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing microscope and X‐ray diffraction. The results found that poly(lactide) stereocomplex crystal could be formed between PLLA and F‐CNTs. F‐CNTs played different roles in the process of solution casting and melting crystallization. Polarizing microscope also revealed that crystallization temperature had a significant effect on the nucleation and spherulites growth of PLLA. Thermal stability and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were also investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile testing. These results demonstrated that the addition of F‐CNTs obviously improved thermal stability and tensile strength of PLLA. The results showed that PLLA/F‐CNTs would have potential values in engineering fields. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.