Multifunctional poly(2,5‐benzimidazole)/carbon nanotube composite films

The AB‐monomer, 3,4‐diaminobenzoic acid dihydrochloride, was recrystallized from an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution and used to synthesize high‐molecular‐weight poly(2,5‐benzimidazole) (ABPBI). ABPBI/carbon nanotube (CNT) composites were prepared via in situ polymerization of the AB‐monomer in the presence of single‐walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) or multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) in a mildly acidic polyphosphoric acid. The ABPBI/SWCNT and ABPBI/MWCNT composites displayed good solubility in methanesulfonic acid and thus, uniform films could be cast. The morphology of these composite films was studied by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The results showed that both types of CNTs were uniformly dispersed into the ABPBI matrix. Tensile properties of the composite films were significantly improved when compared with ABPBI, and their toughness (～200 MPa) was close to the nature's toughest spider silk (～215 MPa). The electrical conductivities of ABPBI/SWCNT and ABPBI/MWCNT composite films were 9.10 × 10^?5 and 2.53 × 10^?1 S/cm, respectively, whereas that of ABPBI film was 4.81 × 10^?6 S/cm. These values are ～19 and 52,700 times enhanced by the presence of SWCNT and MWCNT, respectively. Finally, without acid impregnation, the ABPBI film was nonconducting while the SWCNT‐ and MWCNT‐based composites were proton conducting with maximum conductivities of 0.018 and 0.017 S/cm, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1067–1078, 2010     

LiCl-KCl熔盐中纯氧氧化提纯单壁碳纳米管

以LiCl-KCl(wLiCl∶wKCl=55∶45)熔盐为反应介质,对在熔盐中纯氧氧化提纯单壁碳纳米管(SWCNT)进行了研究.发现可以通过控制熔盐温度和氧气流量来控制氧化反应温和地进行.将5gSWCNT粗产品分散在200g熔盐中,在470℃下用300mL?min-1氧气氧化2h可获得3.8%SWCNT收率.采用TEM,SEM,TGA和Raman谱对提纯前后SWCNT的形貌和组成进行了分析,发现提纯后SWCNT产品中无定形碳被有效去除,而SWCNT结构未发现明显变化.     

Synthesis of multiwalled carbon nanotube/fluorine‐containing poly(p‐phenylene benzoxazole) composites exhibiting greatly enhanced dielectric constants

A series of high‐performance polymer/carbon nanotube (CNT) composites with different nanotube contents have been prepared via condensation of N‐silylated diamino terminated precursor of the polymer with acid chloride‐functionalized CNTs and subsequent thermal cyclodehydration. The composites have been fully characterized by infrared and Raman spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. Various interesting morphologic features including helical structures have been observed in the composites as a result of covalent attachment of the polymer. The composites exhibit excellent thermal stability and a significant improvement in the dielectric constant and mechanical strength with the inclusion of CNTs. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

The influence of nitrogen sources on nitrogen doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes

A range of nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) was produced by a nebulised floating catalyst method at 850 °C using a mixture of toluene and 1-8% nitrogen containing reagents (a range of amines and amides). The carbon nanotube (CNT) products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), CHN analysis as well as Raman spectroscopy. Differences due to the different N containing reagents were noted but in general all reagents gave aligned CNTs that at low concentration (1%) were longer and wider than those produced without nitrogen. Increased N content in the reactant mixture gave doped tubes that became shorter and showed more disorder. Treatment of the N-CNTs with nitric acid (microwave, 30 min) gave samples that were chemically modified by the acid (loss of alignment, narrower tubes and more facile oxidation). It appears in general that the amount of N in the nitrogen containing reagent is more important than the source and type of the N atoms used as revealed by trends in the morphology (diameter, length) of the N-CNTs produced.     

Polyphosphonate induced coacervation of chitosan: Encapsulation of proteins/enzymes and their biosensing

Based on the polyphosphonate-assisted coacervation of chitosan, a simple and versatile procedure for the encapsulation of proteins/enzymes in chitosan–carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composites matrix was developed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) mapping demonstrated the hemoglobin (Hb) uniformly distributed into chitosan–CNTs composites matrix. Raman measurements indicated the CNTs in composites matrix retained the electronic and structural integrities of the pristine CNTs. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy displayed the encapsulated Hb preserved their near-native structure, indicating the polyphosphonate–chitosan–CNTs composites possessed excellent biocompatibility for the encapsulation of proteins/enzymes. Electrochemical measurements indicated the encapsulated Hb could directly exchange electron with the substrate electrode. Moreover, the modified electrode showed excellent bioelectrocatalytic activity for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide. Under optimum experimental conditions, the fabricated electrochemical sensor displayed the fast response (less than 3 s), wide linear range (7.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.0 × 10⁻³ M) and low detection limit (4.0 × 10⁻⁷ M) for the determination of hydrogen peroxide. This newly developed protocol was simple and mild and would certainly find extensive applications in biocatalysis, biosensors, bioelectronics and biofuel cells.     

Study of the surface chemistry and morphology of single walled carbon nanotube-magnetite composites

The study of the morphologies of the single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), magnetite nanoparticles (MNP), and the composite based on them was carried with combined X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy (RS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). These techniques together with thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) and diffuse reflectance infrared transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) confirmed the production of pure single phases, and that the composite material consisted of MNP attached to the outer surface of the SWCNT. The Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS) research showed the presence of a large quantity of Lewis acid sites in the highly dispersed magnetite particles supported on the SWCNT outer surface. The DRIFTS carbon dioxide adsorption study of the composites revealed significant adsorption of carbon dioxide, fundamentally in the Lewis acid sites. Then, the Lewis acid sites were observed to be catalytically active. Further, the electron exchange between the Lewis acid sites and the basic or amphoteric adsorbed molecules could influence the magnetic properties of the magnetite. Consequently, together with this first ever use of MS in the study of Lewis acid sites, this investigation revealed the potential of the composites for catalytic and sensors applications.     

Direct electrolytic exfoliation of graphite with hemin and single-walled carbon nanotube: Creating functional hybrid nanomaterial for hydrogen peroxide detection

We present a new, facile and efficient method to prepare functional graphene (GN) hybrid nanomaterials using direct electrolytic exfoliation of graphite robs in hemin (HN) and single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) solution. During the exfoliation process, HN and SWCNT were simultaneously adsorbed on the surface of GN nanosheets through noncovalent π–π interaction, and then 3D GN–HN–SWCNT hybrid nanomaterials were formed. Due to the synergic effect among GN, HN, and SWCNT, these hybrid nanomaterials possessed excellent electrocatalysis properties and were used to construct novel electrochemical biosensor for H₂O₂ determination. The results displayed a wide linear range of 0.2 μM–0.4 mM and a low detection limit of 0.05 μM. Moreover, the developed sensor was successfully applied for real samples, such as beverages, and showed great promise in routine sensing applications.     

Simultaneous purification and spectrophotometric determination of nickel present in as-prepared single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT)

The quality of single-walled nanotubes (SWCNT) is usually assessed by means of electron microscopic techniques or Raman spectroscopy. However, these sophisticated techniques are not widely available and do not reliably estimate the impurities in highly heterogeneous samples containing metal particles, fullerenes and other carbonaceous materials. We have developed a simple, inexpensive and convenient spectrophotometric method to assess the purity of arc-discharge grown as-prepared SWCNT. Purification process consists of initial gas phase oxidation and refluxing with nitric acid at the optimal conditions including short time period during acid refluxing. We have shown that this method could remove the metal particles effectively with a good yield of high quality SWCNTs, as shown by the spectrophotometric and scanning tunneling microscope studies described here. The extent of removal of the nickel present in as-prepared carbon nanotube sample is followed by spectrophotometeric analysis of the dissolved nickel analyte. The composition of nickel in the SWCNT sample is found to be 17.56%. The method is based on the chelating of Ni²⁺ with dimethylglyoxime in ammoniacal citrate medium to form nickel dimethylglyoxime complex. A second stage purification of SWCNT eliminates the residual metal particles. The purified SWCNT has been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy which shows clearly resolved individual carbon nanotubes.     

Mechanism of carbon nanotube dispersion and precipitation during treatment with poly(acrylic acid)

Carbon nanotubes have been shown to be easily dispersed within an acidic aqueous solution of poly(acrylic acid) but precipitate when the pH is increased. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the nanotubes were more exfoliated under the acidic condition but highly aggregated under the basic condition. Carbon K‐edge NEXAFS spectroscopy showed that the carbon nanotubes did not chemically react with poly(acrylic acid) during the dispersion or precipitation and that the dispersion mainly involved physical adsorption of poly(acrylic acid) onto the nanotubes. Together with the carbon K‐edge NEXAFS spectra, the cobalt L_{3, 2}‐edge NEXAFS spectra suggested that under the basic condition, the cobalt impurity within the nanotubes strongly reacted with poly(acrylic acid) resulting in complex formation. Cobalt reduces the adsorption of poly(acrylic acid) onto the nanotubes, which then reduced the nanotube dispersion and resulted in the precipitation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and characterization of sulfonated single-walled carbon nanotubes and their performance as solid acid catalyst

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were treated with sulfuric acid at 300 °C to synthesize sulfonated SWCNTs (s-SWCNTs), which were characterized by electron microscopy, infrared, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermo analysis. Compared with activated carbon, more sulfonic acid groups can be introduced onto the surfaces of SWCNTs. The high degree (∼20 wt%) of surface sulfonation led to hydrophilic sidewalls that allows the SWCNTs to be uniformly dispersed in water and organic solvents. The high surface acidity of s-SWCNTs was demonstrated by NH₃ temperature-programmed desorption technique and tested by an acetic acid esterification reaction catalyzed by s-SWCNTs. The results show that the water-dispersive s-SWCNTs are an excellent solid acid catalyst and demonstrate the potential of SWCNTs in catalysis applications.     

Amperometric glutamate biosensor based on self-assembling glutamate dehydrogenase and dendrimer-encapsulated platinum nanoparticles onto carbon nanotubes

A novel amperometric biosensor based on self-assembling glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and poly(amidoamine) dendrimer-encapsulated platinum nanoparticles (Pt-PAMAM) onto multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been developed for the determination of glutamate. The formation of the self-assembled (GLDH/Pt-PAMAM)_n/CNTs construction was investigated by ζ-potential and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results indicated the uniform growth of the layer-by-layer nanostructures onto carboxyl-functionalized CNTs. The electrocatalytic property of the (GLDH/Pt-PAMAM)_n/CNTs modified electrode to glutamate in presence of NAD⁺ (β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, 0.1 mM) was investigated at a low overpotential 0.2 V by electrochemical measurements. The results showed it had series of attractive characteristics, such as a large determination range (0.2-250 μM), a short response time (within 3 s), a high sensitivity (433 μA/mM⁻¹ cm²) and good stability (85% remains after 4 weeks).     

Facile approach to obtain individual‐nanotube dispersion at high loading in carbon nanotubes/polyimide composites

A big challenge in making a composite lies in achieving individual‐nanotube dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a polymer matrix, without aggregation and entanglement and excellent interfacial adhesion between the CNTs and the polymers matrix. In this communication, using polyethylene glycol‐200, we successfully prepared CNT‐reinforced polyimide composites that exhibit individual‐nanotube dispertion in the matrix at high‐loading CNT's. The content of CNTs in a composite can reach 43 wt%. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

电弧放电法制备大面积高纯单壁碳纳米管薄膜

介绍了一种制备大面积高纯度单壁碳纳米管(SWCNT)薄膜的新方法. 利用改进的电弧放电法, 在真空放电室内分别安装两枚石墨极板, 使之形成一个球冠型电容器. 使用这种新型装置, 可以在两枚球冠型石墨极板之间产生一个合适的附加电场和成膜基板, 通过控制放电时间, 可在阴极的球冠型石墨极板上制备出厚度从数微米至1毫米不等的SWCNT薄膜. 场发射扫描电子显微镜(FESEM)、高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)、拉曼光谱和热重分析(TGA)的表征结果表明, 这个方法可以高效地制备具有高纯度的SWCNT薄膜.     

Selective electrochemical sensing of calcium dobesilate based on the nano-Pd/CNTs modified pyrolytic graphite electrode

A new palladium nanoparticle functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotubes (nano-Pd/CNTs) modified pyrolytic graphite electrode (PGE) has been fabricated for electrochemical sensing of calcium dobesilate (CD) in pharmaceutical capsules. The nano-Pd/CNTs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The nano-Pd/CNTs composite showed a strong electrocatalytic property for CD. The anodic peak current is 6-fold than that obtained in bare PGE and the oxidation potential has an obvious shift to negative. The anodic peak current is proportional to the concentration of CD in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 7.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, with a linear relative coefficient r = 0.999 and a detection limit 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). This kind of electrode shows good stability, sensitivity, reproducibility, large linear range and low detection limit towards electrochemical determination of CD. The proposed method provides a selective and sensitive electrochemical sensor of calcium dobesilate.     

The effect of arylferrocene ring substituents on the synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The synthesis of shaped carbon nanomaterials (SCNMs) such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), amorphous carbon, carbon fibres (CFs) and carbon spheres (CSs) was achieved using para-substituted arylferrocenes, FcPhX (X = H, OH, Br, COCH₃) or a mixture of ferrocene (FcH) and substituted benzenes (PhX; X = H, OH, Br, COCH₃). The reactions were carried out by an injection chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method using toluene solutions (carrier gas: 5% H₂ in Ar at a flow rate of 100 ml/min) in the temperature range of 800-1000 °C. In most instances multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) were produced. Variations in the concentrations of precursor catalysts, the injection rate and temperature affected the type, distribution and dimensions of the SCNMs produced. The overall finding is that the presence of Br and O in these studies significantly reduces CNT growth. A comparative study on the effect of FcPhX versus FcH/PhX mixtures was investigated. The SCNMs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA).     

Rheological and Structure Investigation of Melt Mixed Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube/PE Composites

In this study a series of melt mixed multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT)/Polyethylene composites with several carbon nanotube (CNTs) concentrations were investigated. A good dispersion of the nanotubes in the matrix was seen using scanning electron microscopy. Melt rheological measurements in dynamic mode were used to estimate the percolation state of the CNTs within the polymer and to provide information about the structure of the CNT/polymer composites. The effect of nanotubes on the non-isothermal crystallization behaviour of the nanocomposites was also studied by differential scanning calorimetry.     

多元醇法制备Cu2O/CNTs复合材料的研究

以Cu(CH₃COO)₂•H₂O和经硝酸处理的CNTs作为原料, 采用多元醇法成功合成了纳米氧化亚铜均布于碳纳米管表面的复合光催化剂. 用透射电镜(TEM), 高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM), X射线粉末衍射(XRD)对样品进行了表征, 测试结果表明大小为2～5 nm的氧化亚铜纳米颗粒均匀分散于碳纳米管的表面. 讨论了反应条件对Cu₂O在CNTs上负载效果的影响并就多元醇法合成Cu₂O/CNTs复合材料的反应机理作了初步探讨.     

The interface behavior of hemoglobin at carbon nanotube and the detection for H(2)O(2)

Direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin (Hb) is observed at carbon nanotube (CNT) interface. The adsorbing Hb can transfer electron directly at CNT interface compared with common carbon material. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant k of Hb can be calculated as 0.062 s⁻¹, the transfer coefficient α is 0.21 and the average surface coverage of Hb on CNT surface is 3.58 × 10⁻⁹ ± 2.7 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol/cm². It is found that the adsorbing Hb still keeps its catalytic activity to H₂O₂. This sensor was used to detect H₂O₂. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant is calculated as 6.75 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹.     

Electrical and rheological percolation of PMMA/MWCNT nanocomposites as a function of CNT geometry and functionality

Composites of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) of varying aspect ratio and carboxylic acid functionality were prepared using melt mixing. The extent of dispersion and distribution of the MWCNTs in the PMMA matrix was investigated using a combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The electrical resistivity and oscillatory shear rheological properties of the composites were measured as a function of MWCNT geometry, functionality, and concentration. The fundamental ballistic conductance of the pristine free-standing MWCNTs was investigated using a mechanically controlled break-junction method. The electrical conductivity of PMMA was enhanced by up to 11 orders of magnitude for MWCNT concentrations below 0.5 wt.%. MWCNTs having higher aspect ratio, above 500, or functionalized with carboxylic acid groups readily formed rheological percolated networks with thresholds, determined from a power law relationship, of 1.52 and 2.06 wt.%, respectively. The onset of pseudo-solid-like behaviour and network formation is observed as G′, η∗, and tan δ⁻¹ are independent of frequency as MWCNT loading increased. Sufficiently long and/or functionalized tubes are required to physically bridge or provide interfacial interactions with PMMA to alter polymer chain dynamics. Carboxylic acid functionalization disrupts the crystalline order of MWCNTs due to a loss of π-conjugation and electron de-localisation of sp² C-C bonds resulting in non-ballistic electron transport in these tubes, irrespective of how highly dispersed they are in the PMMA matrix.     

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.