Electronic properties and reactivity of Pt-doped carbon nanotubes

The structures of the (5,5) single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) segments with hemispheric carbon cages capped at the ends (SWCNT rod) and the Pt-doped SWCNT rods have been studied within density functional theory. Our theoretical studies find that the hemispheric cages introduce localized states on the caps. The cap-Pt-doped SWCNT rods can be utilized as sensors because of the sensitivity of the doped Pt atom. The Pt-doped SWCNT rods can also be used as catalysts, where the doped Pt atom serves as the enhanced and localized active center on the SWCNT. The adsorptions of C(2)H(4) and H(2) on the Pt atom in the Pt-doped SWCNT rods reveal different adsorption characteristics. The adsorption of C(2)H(4) on the Pt atom in all of the three Pt-doped SWCNT rods studied (cap-end-doped, cap-doped, and wall-doped) is physisorption with the strongest interaction occurring in the middle of the sidewall of the SWCNT. On the other hand, the adsorption of H(2) on the Pt atom at the sidewall of the SWCNT is chemisorption resulting in the decomposition of H(2), and the adsorption of H(2) at the hemispheric caps is physisorption.     

A comparison of the effect of nanotube chirality and electronic properties on the π–π interaction of single‐wall carbon nanotubes with pyrazinamide antitubercular drug

Theoretical investigation on local electronic structure and stability of the π–π stacking interaction of pyrazinamide (PZA) with armchair (5,5) and zigzag (9,0) single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is performed using density functional theory (DFT). PZA is physisorbed onto nanotube sidewall through interaction of π orbitals of PZA and SWCNT and the enhanced structural stability of PZA/SWCNT systems is due to weak side‐on rather than the head‐on π‐interactions. The physisorption of PZA onto SWCNT sidewall is thermodynamically favored; as a consequence, it modulates the electronic properties of pristine nanotube in the vicinity of Fermi region and π–π stacked interactions is stronger in (9,0) SWCNT compared to (5,5) SWCNT. The density of states (DOS) analysis show that PZA contributes toward the enhancement of electronic states. Projected DOS and frontier orbital analysis in the vicinity of Fermi level region suggest the electronic states to be contributed from SWCNT rather than PZA. In addition, hybrid DFT calculation which includes the dispersion correction is employed to explain the non‐covalent π–π stacking interaction between PZA and SWCNT. The local density approximation and GGA results are compared with DFT‐D to explain near about accurately the weak nonbonded van der Waals interactions between PZA and SWCNTs. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

UV photoelectron spectroscopy of carbonmonoxide adsorbed on small palladium particles

The adsorption of carbonmonoxide (CO) on palladium clusters evaporated onto a carbon substrate has been studied by photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). Variations in the electron binding energy of the CO valence levels and an attenuation of the d-electron emission of Pd as a function of particle size has been observed.     

Molecular perspective on diazonium adsorption for controllable functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes in aqueous surfactant solutions

Functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using diazonium salts allows modification of their optical and electronic properties for a variety of applications, ranging from drug-delivery vehicles to molecular sensors. However, control of the functionalization process remains a challenge, requiring molecular-level understanding of the adsorption of diazonium ions onto heterogeneous, charge-mobile SWCNT surfaces, which are typically decorated with surfactants. In this paper, we combine molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, experiments, and equilibrium reaction modeling to understand and model the extent of diazonium functionalization of SWCNTs coated with various surfactants (sodium cholate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide). We show that the free energy of diazonium adsorption, determined using simulations, can be used to rank surfactants in terms of the extent of functionalization attained following their adsorption on the nanotube surface. The difference in binding affinities between linear and rigid surfactants is attributed to the synergistic binding of the diazonium ion to the local "hot/cold spots" formed by the charged surfactant heads. A combined simulation-modeling framework is developed to provide guidance for controlling the various sensitive experimental conditions needed to achieve the desired extent of SWCNT functionalization.     

Study of ionic surfactants interactions with carboxylated single-walled carbon nanotubes by using ion-selective electrodes

Potentiometric measurements based on the use of ion-selective electrodes have been used to study the interaction (adsorption) of anionic and cationic surfactants with functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT–COOH). According to results, the interaction is driven by hydrophobic forces between the hydrocarbon tails of the surfactants and the nanotube walls. Electrostatic interactions practically exert no influence on the interaction. Driving forces in the dispersion processes are different.     

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.     

Dynamics of local chirality during SWCNT growth: armchair versus zigzag nanotubes

We present an analysis of the dynamics of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) chirality during growth, using the recently developed local chirality index (LOCI) method [ Kim et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2011 , 107 , 175505 ] in conjunction with quantum chemical molecular dynamics (QM/MD) simulations. Using (5,5) and (8,0) SWCNT fragments attached to an Fe(38) catalyst nanoparticle, growth was induced by periodically placing carbon atoms at the edge of the SWCNT. For both armchair and zigzag SWCNTs, QM/MD simulations indicate that defect healing-the process of defect removal during growth-is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for chirality-controlled SWCNT growth. Time-evolution LOCI analysis shows that healing, while restoring the pristine hexagon structure of the growing SWCNT, also leads to changes in the local chirality of the SWCNT edge region and thus of the entire SWCNT itself. In this respect, we show that zigzag SWCNTs are significantly inferior in maintaining their chirality during growth compared to armchair SWCNTs.     

Carbon chains and the (5,5) single-walled nanotube: structure and energetics versus length

Reliable thermochemistry is computed for infinite stretches of pure-carbon materials including acetylenic and cumulenic carbon chains, graphene sheet, and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by connection to the properties of finite size molecules that grow into the infinitely long systems. Using ab initio G3 theory, the infinite cumulenic chain (:C[double bond]C[double bond]C[double bond]C:) is found to be 1.9+/-0.4 kcal/mol per carbon less stable in free energy at room temperature than the acetylenic chain (.C[triple bond]C-C[triple bond]C.) which is 24.0 kcal/mol less stable than graphite. The difference between carbon-carbon triple, double, and single bond lengths (1.257, 1.279, and 1.333 A, respectively) in infinite chains is evident but much less than with small hydrocarbon molecules. These results are used to evaluate the efficacy of similar calculations with the less rigorous PM3 semiempirical method on the (5,5) SWCNT, which is too large to be studied with high-level ab initio methods. The equilibrium electronic energy change for C(g)-->C[infinite (5,5) SWCNT] is -166.7 kcal/mol, while the corresponding free energy change at room temperature is -153.3 kcal/mol (6.7 kcal/mol less stable than graphite). A threefold alternation (6.866, 6.866, and 6.823 A) in the ring diameter of the equilibrium structure of infinitely long (5,5) SWCNT is apparent, although the stability of this structure over the constant diameter structure is small compared to the zero point energy of the nanotube. In general, different (n,m) SWCNTs have different infinite tube energetics, as well as very different energetic trends that vary significantly with length, diameter, and capping.     

单壁碳纳米管内包合有机小分子(乙炔、乙烯和乙烷)结构的理论研究

采用量子化学密度泛函B3LYP方法计算并对比研究了内包合三种有机小分子(乙炔、乙烯和乙烷)的(5,5)型扶手椅式碳纳米管复合物的结构以及电子性质. 研究结果表明, 中心掺杂物放在碳纳米管的管轴上的异构体比掺杂物垂直于管轴的异构体稳定; 内嵌有机小分子碳纳米管复合物的形成过程为吸热过程; 有机小分子的插入会使其HOMO-LUMO能隙变大; 并引起碳纳米管直径的轻微加大, 以减少碳管张力, 其形变程度增大的顺序依次为C2H2相似文献   

Ruthenium porphyrin functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube arrays--a step toward light harvesting antenna and multibit information storage

Ruthenium porphyrin functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube arrays have been prepared using coordination of the axial position of the metal ion onto 4-aminopyridine preassembled single-walled carbon nanotubes directly anchored to a silicon(100) surface (SWCNTs-Si). The formation of these ruthenium porphyrin functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube array electrodes (RuTPP-SWCNTs-Si) has been monitored using infrared spectroscopy (IR), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), atomic force microscopy (AFM), laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (LDI-TOF-MS), UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. Electrochemical results show two successive one-electron reversible redox waves. The surface concentration of the ruthenium porphyrin molecules is 3.44 x 10 (-8) mol cm (-2). Optical results indicate that the immobilization of ruthenium porphyrin enhances the light absorption of SWCNTs-Si surfaces in the visible light region. Moreover mixed assembly of ferrocene/porphyrin onto carbon nanotube arrays has been achieved by altering the ratio of two redox-active species in the deposition solution. These results suggest the ruthenium porphyrin modified electrodes are excellent candidates for molecular memory devices and light harvesting antennae.     

椅型碳纳米管吸附氧原子的密度泛函理论研究

利用密度泛函B3LYP对有限长扶手椅形单壁碳纳米管(3,3),(4,4)和(5,5)吸附O原子的几何结构、电子属性、反应能和红外光谱进行了系统地理论研究,获得了一些有意义的结果,主要包括如下4个方面:(1)2个O原子吸附在管外壁垂直于管轴的C—C键形成开环的轮烯结构,吸附在管内壁形成环氧结构;(2)O原子吸附在管外壁要比吸附在管内壁具有较大的能隙和吸附反应能;(3)与单壁碳纳米管管外壁吸附1个O原子相比,2个O原子吸附在管外壁具有较大的吸附反应能;(4)B3LYP得到的C—O伸缩振动频率与实验一致.     

Modification of the electronic properties of zigzag (n = 5–10) and armchair (n = 3, 5) carbon nanotubes by K atom adsorption

The adsorption of the potassium atom onto the surface of (n,0) zigzag nanotube (n = 5–10) and (n,n) armchair nanotubes (n = 3, 5) has been studied by density functional theory. The local density approximation calculation of adsorption energy (E _ads) emphasized on the dependency of E _ads to the diameter and chirality of the nanotube. E _ads decreases when the diameter increases. So the (5,0)-K system has the highest adsorption energy among all structures. Furthermore, a significant change was observed in the electronic properties of potassium-adsorbed single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and the metallic behavior of the nanotube improved. Therefore, our results showed that such modified SWCNTs can be applied in nanodevices such as transistors.     

Adsorption and diffusion of carbon dioxide and nitrogen through single-walled carbon nanotube membranes

We have used atomically detailed simulations to examine the adsorption and transport diffusion of CO2 and N2 in single-walled carbon nanotubes at room temperature as a function of nanotube diameter. Linear and spherical models for CO2 are compared, showing that representing this species as spherical has only a slight impact in the computed diffusion coefficients. Our results support previous predictions that transport diffusivities of molecules inside carbon nanotubes are extremely rapid when compared with other porous materials. By examining carbon nanotubes as large as the (40,40) nanotube, we are able to compare the transport rates predicted by our calculations with recent experimental measurements. The predicted transport rates are in reasonable agreement with experimental observations.     

Hydrogen adsorption on Ce/SWCNT systems: a DFT study

The adsorption of H(2) on Ce doped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and graphene are investigated by using density functional theory. For both systems, it is found that Ce preferentially occupies the hollow site on the outside. The results indicate that Ce/SWCNT system is a good candidate for hydrogen storage where six H(2) per Ce can be adsorbed and 5.14 wt% H(2) can be stored in the Ce(3)/SWCNT system. Among metal-doped SWCNTs, Ce exhibits the most favorable hydrogen adsorption characteristics in terms of the adsorption energy and the uptake capacity. The hybridization of the Ce-4f and Ce-5d orbitals with the H orbital contributes to the H(2) binding where Ce-4f electrons participate in the hybridization due to the instability of the 4f state. The interaction between H(2) and Ce/SWCNT is balanced by the electronic hybridization and electrostatic interactions. Curvature of SWCNT changes the size of the binding energy of Ce and C and the adsorption energy of H(2) on Ce.     

Noncovalent interactions between cytosine and SWCNT: curvature dependence of complexes via pi...pi stacking and cooperative CH...pi/NH...pi

Fragments of C24H12, adapted from a variety of armchair [(n,n), (n = 5, 7, and 8)] and zigzag [(m,0) (m = 8, 10, and 12)] single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), are used to model corresponding SWCNTs with different diameters and electronic structures. The parallel binding mainly through pi...pi stacking interaction, as well as the perpendicular binding via cooperative NH...pi and CH...pi between cytosine and the fragments of SWCNT have been extensively investigated with a GGA type of DFT, PW91LYP/6-311++G(d,p). The eclipsed tangential (ET) conformation with respect to the six-membered ring of cytosine and the central ring of SWCNT fragments is less stable than the slipped tangential (ST) conformation for the given fragment; perpendicular conformations with NH2 and CH ends have higher negative binding energy than those with NH and CH ends. At PW91LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level, two tangential complexes are less bound than perpendicular complexes. However, as electron correlation is treated with MP2/6-311G(d,p) for PW91LYP/6-311++G(d,p) optimized complexes, it turns out there is an opposite trend that two tangential complexes become more stable than three perpendicular complexes. This result implies that electron correlation, a primary source to dispersion energy, has more significant contributions to the pi...pi stacking complexes than to the complexes via cooperative NH...pi and CH...pi interactions. In addition, it was found for the first time that binding energies for two tangential complexes become more negative with increasing nanotube diameter, while those for three perpendicular complexes have a weaker dependence on the curvature; i.e., binding energies are slightly less and less negative. The performance of a novel hybrid DFT, MPWB1K, was also discussed.     

A viable way to tailor carbon nanomaterials by irradiation-induced transformations

Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNT), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been the most important tool in their investigation. It is possible to use electron irradiation in a TEM to construct a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) from an amorphous carbon film. Here we show that such a synthesis method creates a large number of carbon ad-atoms, which after some critical amount of radiation act to restore the system by reconstructing the carbon film. The behavior of the ad-atoms can be controlled by adjusting the current density in the microscope, suggesting that carbon nanomaterials can be tailored by electron irradiation.     

Carbon nanotubes contain residual metal catalyst nanoparticles even after washing with nitric acid at elevated temperature because these metal nanoparticles are sheathed by several graphene sheets

It is demonstrated that multiwalled (MWCNT) and single-walled (SWCNT) carbon nanotube materials contain residual metal impurities (Fe, Ni, Co, Mo) even after prolonged periods of "washing" with concentrated nitric acid at temperature of 80 degrees C. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM) reveals that this is because such metal impurities are intercalated in the nanotube channel (in the case of MWCNT) or in the "bamboo" segment of the nanotube (in the case of "bamboo"-like MWCNT), or they create graphene sheet protected metal core/shell nanoparticles (in the case of SWCNT). TEM/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM/EDS) elucidate that residual metal impurities presented in "washed" carbon nanotube materials are in some cases in the form of metal alloys or that there can be several different pure metal nanoparticles presented in one CNT material. It is shown by thermogravimetric analysis that "washing" with concentrated nitric acid removes up to 88% (w/w) of metal catalyst nanoparticles from as-received carbon nanotubes and that such removal has in some cases a significant effect on the electrochemical reduction of hydrogen peroxide.     

Enhanced CO2 adsorptivity of SWCNT by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon intercalation

We tuned the electronic properties of single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) with intercalation of naphthalene derivatives (NDs) having different electron donor or acceptor property in the SWCNT bundles. Characterization of the adsorbed SWCNT with Raman spectroscopy and electrical conductivity measurement clearly indicate the charge transfer interaction of ND molecules with SWCNT. Also X-ray diffraction supports the intercalation of ND molecules in the interstitial spaces and groove sites of SWCNT bundle. Intercalation of ND molecules enhances remarkably the CO₂ adsorptivity, which can be ascribed to the key importance of the interaction of the quadrupole moment of CO₂ with the local electrical field on the SWCNT induced by the charge transfer interaction.