Application of multiwalled carbon nanotubes treated by potassium permanganate for determination of trace cadmium prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometry

In this study we investigated the enrichment ability of oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） and established a new method for the determination of trace cadmium in environment with flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The MWCNTs were oxidized by potassium permanganate under appropriate conditions before use as preconcentration packing. Parameters influencing the recoveries of target analytes were optimized. Under optimal conditions, the target analyte exhibited a good linearity （R^2=0.9992） over the concentration range 0.5-50 ng/ml. The detection limit and precision of the proposed method were 0.15 ng/ml and 2.06%, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the determination of cadmium in real-world environmental samples and the recoveries were in the range of 91.3%-108.0%. All these experimental results indicated that this new procedure could be applied to the determination of trace cadmium in environmental waters.

Synthesis of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes by Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition

Single crystal silicon was found to be very beneficial to the growth of aligned carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition with C2H2 as carbon source. A thin film of Ni served as catalyst was deposited on the Si substrate by the K575X Peltier Cooled High Resolution Sputter Coater before growth. The growth properties of carbon nanotubes were studied as a function of the Ni catalyst layer thickness. The diameter, growth rate and areal density of the carbon nanotubes were controlled by the initial thickness of the catalyst layer. Steric hindrance between nanotubes forces them to grow in well-aligned manner at an initial stage of growth. Transmission electron microscope analysis revealed that nanotubes grew by a tip growth mechanism.