Influence of Pretreatment Conditions of Stainless Steel Substrates on Field Emission Properties of Carbon Nanotubes Films

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are synthesized from methane and hydrogen gas mixture directly on stainless steel plates by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MWPCVD).By varying pretreatment conditions of the substrates such as mechanically polishing and acid washing,it is found the polishing and acid washing can lower the turn-on field and improve the emission current density.The current density of the un-pretreated sample attains 1.2mA/cm 2,but the polished sample and polished acidly washed sample attain 3.2 and 2.75mA/cm 2,respectively,at the electric field of 6.25V/μm.

Experimental and theoretical study on field emission properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles decorated carbon nanotubes

Field emission properties of zinc oxide （ZnO） nanoparticles （NPs） decorated carbon nanotubes （CNTs） are investigated experimentally and theoretically. CNTs are in situ decorated with ZnO NPs during the growth process by chemical vapor deposition using a carbon source from the iron phthalocyanine pyrolysis. The experimental field emission test shows that the ZnO NP decoration significantly improves the emission current from 50 μA to 275 μA at 550 V and the reduced threshold voltage from 450 V to 350 V. The field emission mechanism of ZnO NPs on CNTs is theoretically studied by the density functional theory （DFT） combined with the Penn-Plummer method. The ZnO NPs reconstruct the ZnO-CNT structure and pull down the surface barrier of the entire emitter system to 0.49 eV so as to reduce the threshold electric field. The simulation results suggest that the presence of ZnO NPs would increase the LDOS near the Fermi level and increase the emission current. The calculation results are consistent with the experiment results.

Study of the Diffusion Behavior of Seawater Absorption in Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Halloysite Nanotubes Hybrid Nanofillers Modified Epoxy-Based Glass/Carbon Fiber Composites

In the maritime industry, cost-effective and lightweight Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites offer excellent mechanical properties, design flexibility, and corrosion resistance. However, their reliability in harsh seawater conditions is a concern. Researchers address this by exploring three approaches: coating fiber surfaces, hybridizing fibers and matrices with or without nanofillers, and interply rearrangement. This study focuses on evaluating the synergistic effects of interply rearrangement of glass/carbon fibers and hybrid nanofillers, specifically Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and Halloysite nanotubes (HNT). The aim is to enhance impact properties by minimizing moisture absorption. Hybrid nanocomposites with equal-weight proportions of two nanofillers: 0 wt.%, 1 wt.%, and 2 wt.% were exposed to seawater for 90 days. Experimental data was subjected to modelling through the application of Predictive Fick’s Law. The study found that the hybrid composite containing 2 wt.% hybrid nanofillers exhibited a 22.10% increase in impact performance compared to non-modified counterparts. After 90 days of seawater aging, the material exhibited enhanced resistance to moisture absorption (15.74%) and minimal reduction in impact strength (8.52%) compared to its dry strength, with lower diffusion coefficients.

Enhanced Field Emission from Printed Carbon Nanotubes by Hard Hairbrush

A method, the morphology of screen printed carbon nanotube pastes is modified using a hard hairbrush, is presented. In this way, the organic matrix material is preferentially removed. Compared to those untreated films, the turn-on electric field of the treated film decreases from 2.2V/μm to 1.6V/μm, while the total emission current of the treated increases from 0.6mA/cm2 to 3mA/cm2, and uniform emission site density image has also been observed.

Enhanced field emission from nano-graphite coated carbon nanotubes

An effective method by low energy carbonhydrogen ion treatment to enhance field emission of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is demonstrated. Comparing with control, field emission (FE) currents of the CNTs by carbonhydrogen ion irradiation increased, and the turn-on field and the threshold field decreased significantly. The structure characteristic revealed by transmission electron microscopy demonstrates that CNTs are coated by nano-graphite particles after being treated with low energy carbonhydrogen ion and that there are large quantities of defects and grain boundaries in the coated layer. It is considered that the coating layer can decrease the effective surface work function of CNTs and correspondingly increase field emission. In addition, the defects, the grain boundaries and the C-H dipoles forming in the process of the low energy ions irradiation can effectively enhance the field emission.

INFLUENCES OF DENSITY AND DIMENSION OF CARBON NANOTUBES ON THEIR FIELD EMISSION

The influences of density and dimension of carbon nanotubes on their electron emission from arrays are studied. The tip electric field of nanotubes, electric field enhancement factor, and optimum nanotube density are expressed by analytic equations. The theoretical analyses show that the field enhancement factor is sensitive to nanotube density, and can be sharply improved at a specific and optimum density. Some experiments have demonstrated these. Owning to electrostatic screening effect, the length of carbon nanotubes has little effect on their emission. A uniformly-distributed carbon nanotube array model is set up, and applied to analysis of carbon nanotube arrays. The results obtained here are in good agreement with the experimental data.

The Influence of Carbon Nanotubes and Nano-Silica Fume on Enhancing the Damping and Mechanical Properties of Cement-Based Materials

This paper conducted experimental studies on the damping and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube-nanosilica-cement composite materials with different carbon nanotube contents. The damping and mechanical properties enhancement mechanisms were analyzed and compared through the porosity structure test, XRD analysis, and scanning electron microscope observation. The results show that the introduction of nanosilica significantly improves the dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the cement matrix. At the same time, the addition of nanosilica not only effectively reduces the critical pore size and average pore size of the cement composite material, but also exhibits good synergistic effects with carbon nanotubes, which can significantly optimize the pore structure. Finally, a rationalization suggestion for the co-doping of nanosilica and carbon nanotubes was given to achieve a significant increase in the flexural strength, compressive strength and loss factor of cement-based materials.

Field Emission from a Mixture of Amorphous Carbon and Carbon Nanotubes Films

A mixture of amorphous carbon and carbon nanotubes films was synthesized on stainless steel plates by a micro- wave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. The source gases were hydrogen and methane with flow rates of 100 and 16sccm,respectively,with a total pressure of 5.0kPa. The surface morphology and the structure of the films were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and Raman scattering spectroscopy. Field emission properties of as-deposited film were measured in a vacuum room below 5 ×10^ 5 Pa. The experimental results show that the initial turn-on field is 0. 9V/μm; The current density is 4.0mA/cm2 and the emission sites are dense and uniform at an electric field of 3.7V/μm. These results indicate that such a mixture of amorphous carbon and carbon nanotubes films is a promising material for field emission applications.

In-situ homogeneous synthesis of carbon nanotubes on aluminum matrix and properties of their composites

Using nickel catalyst supported on aluminum powders, carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were successfully synthesized in aluminum powders by in-situ chemical vapor deposition at 650 ℃. Structural characterization revealed that the as-grown CNTs possessed higher graphitization degree and straight graphite shell. By this approach, more homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in aluminum powders was achieved compared with the traditional mechanical mixture methods. Using the in-situ synthesized CNTs/Al composite powders and powder metallurgy process, CNTs/Al bulk composites were prepared. Performance testing showed that the mechanical properties and dimensional stability of the composites were improved obviously, which was attributed to the superior dispersion of CNTs in aluminum matrix and the strong interfacial bonding between CNTs and matrix.

Improving the field-emission properties of carbon nanotubes by magnetically controlled nickel-electroplating treatment

A novel magnetically controlled Ni-plating method has been developed to improve the field-emission properties of carbon nanotubes （CNTs）. The effect of the magnetic field and Ni-electroplating on CNT field-emission properties was investigated, and the results are demonstrated using scanning electron microscopy, J-E and the duration test. After treatment, the turn-on electric field declines from 1.55 to 0.91 V/μm at an emission current density of 100μA/cm2, and the emission current density increases from 0.011 to 0.34 mA/cm2 at an electric field of 1.0 V/μm. Both the brightness and uniformity of the CNT emission performance are improved after treatment.

Field emission properties of capped carbon nanotubes doped by alkali metals:a theoretical investigation

The electronic structures and field emission properties of capped CNT55 systems with or without alkali metal atom adsorption were systematically investigated by density functional theory calculation.The results indicate that the adsorption of alkali metal on the center site of a CNT tip is energetically favorable.In addition,the adsorption energies increase with the introduction of the electric field.The excessive negative charges on CNT tips make electron emittance much easier and result in a decrease in work function.Furthermore,the inducing effect by positively charged alkali metal atoms can be reasonably considered as the dominant reason for the improvement in field emission properties.

Fabrication,microstructures,and properties of copper matrix composites reinforced by molybdenum-coated carbon nanotubes

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were coated by a molybdenum layer using carbonyl thermal decomposition process with a precursor of molybdenum hexacarbonyl. The Mo-coated CNTs （Mo-CNTs） were added into copper powders to fabricate Mo-CNT/Cu composites by means of mechanical milling followed by spark plasma sintering. The Mo-CNTs were uniform dispersion in the Cu matrix when their contents were 2.5 vo1.%-7.5 vol.%, while some Mo-CNT clusters were clearly observed at additions of 10.0 vo1.%-15.0 vol.% Mo-CNTs in the mixture. The mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of the Mo-CNT/Cu composites were characterized, and the results showed that the tensile strength and hardness were 2.0 and 2.2 times higher than those of CNT-free specimens, respectively. Moreover, the Mo-CNT/Cu composites exhibited an enhanced thermal conductivity but inferior electrical conductivity compared with sintered pure Cu. The uncoated CNT/Cu composites were fabricated by the similar processes, and the measured tensile strength, hardness, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity of the CNT/Cu composites were lower than those of the Mo-CNT/Cu composites.

Fabrication and thermal conductivity of copper matrix composites reinforced by tungsten-coated carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were coated by tungsten using metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Magnetic stirring was employed to disperse the W-coated CNTs （W-CNTs） in a Cu matrix, and then, the mixed powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering. The W-CNTs obtained a uniform dispersion within the Cu matrix when the W-CNT content was less than 5.0vo1%, but high content of W-CNTs （10vol%） resulted in the presence of clusters. The W-CNT/Cu composites containing low content of W-CNTs （〈5.0vol%） exhibited a higher thermal conductivity than the sintered pure Cu, while the CNT/Cu composites exhibited no increase in thermal conductivity after the incorporation of uncoated CNTs. The W-CNT content was found to play a crucial role in determining the thermal conductivity of the W-CNT/Cu composites. The thermal conductivity of the W-CNT/Cu composites increased first and then decreased with the W-CNT content increasing. When the W-CNT content was 2.5vo1%, the W-CNT/Cu composite obtained the maximum value of thermal conductivity. The thermal resistance of the （W-CNT）-Cu interface was predicted in terms of Maxwell-Gamett effective medium approximation, and its calculated value was about 3.0× 10-9 m2.K.W-l.

EBSD characterization of Al7075/graphene nanoplates/carbon nanotubes composites processed through post-deformation annealing

The effects of the post-deformation annealing on the microstructural evolution of hot rolled Al7075 matrix composites reinforced with CNTs and GNPs were investigated.The multi-pass hot rolling was applied on the stir cast samples.Annealing was then applied to the composites at 450℃ for 4 h.Microstructural evolution was examined by SEM,EDS,and EBSD techniques.EBSD data showed that the addition of 0.87 vol.%(GNPs+CNTs)significantly inhibited the occurrence of recrystallization.Also,in the composite with 0.96 vol.%CNTs,recrystallization was partially inhibited.Whereas,in composites with 0.92 vol.%of GNPs,the occurrence of recrystallization through particle stimulated nucleation(PSN)mechanism was significantly accelerated.The volume fraction of recrystallized grains depends significantly on the occurrence of PSN in the presence of reinforcements.The intensity and type of the main components of the texture as well as the FCC fibers depend on the type of reinforcement.

Size dependency and potential field influence on deriving mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes using molecular dynamics

A thorough understanding on the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube （CNT） is essential in extending the advanced applications of CNT based systems. However, conducting experiments to estimate mechanical properties at this scale is extremely challenging. Therefore, development of mechanistic models to estimate the mechanical properties of CNTs along with the integration of existing continuum mechanics concepts is critically important. This paper presents a comprehensive molecular dynamics simulation study on the size dependency and potential function influence of mechanical properties of CNT. Commonly used reactive bond order （REBO） and adaptive intermolecular reactive bond order （A1REBO） potential functions were considered in this regard. Young＇s modulus and shear modulus of CNTs are derived by integrating classical continuum mechanics concepts with molecular dynamics simulations. The results indicate that the potential function has a significant influence on the estimated mechanical properties of CNTs, and the influence of potential field is much higher when studying the torsional behaviour of CNTs than the tensile behaviour.

Aluminum matrix composites reinforced by molybdenum-coated carbon nanotubes

To extend the application of carbon nanotubes （CNTs） and explore novel aluminum matrix composites,CNTs were coated by molybdenum layers using metal organic chemical vapor deposition,and then Mo-coated CNT （Mo-CNT）/Al composites were prepared by the combination processes of powder mixing and spark plasma sintering.The influences of powder mixing and Mo-CNT content on the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of the composites were investigated.The results show that magnetic stirring is better than mechanical milling for mixing the Mo-CNTs and Al powders.The electrical conductivity of the composites decreases with increasing Mo-CNT content.When the Mo-CNT content is 0.5wt%,the tensile strength and hardness of Mo-CNT/Al reach their maximum values.The tensile strength of 0.5wt% Mo-CNT/Al increases by 29.9%,while the electrical conductivity only decreases by 7.1%,relative to sintered pure Al.The phase analysis of Mo-CNT/Al composites reveals that there is no formation of Al carbide in the composites.

Electron field emission from single-walled carbon nanotube nonwoven

Field emission from single-walled carbon nanotube （SWNT） nonwoven has been investigated under high vacuum with different vacuum gaps, A low turn-on electric field of 1.05 V/μm is required to reach an emission current density of 10μA/cm^2. An emission current density of 10 mA/cm^2 is obtained at an operating electric field of 1.88V/μm. No current saturation is found even at an emission current of 5 mA. With the vacuum gap increasing from 1 to 10 mm, the turn-on field decreases monotonically from 1.21 to 0.68 V/μm, while the field amplification is augmented. The good field-emission behaviour is ascribed to the combined effects of the intrinsic field emission of SWNT and the waved topography of the nonwoven.

High-cycle Fatigue Life Extension of Glass Fiber/Polymer Composites with Carbon Nanotubes

The present work shows that the addition of small volume fractions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes （CNTs） to the matrix results in a significant increase in the high-cycle fatigue life. It is proposed that carbon nanotubes tend to inhibit the formation of large cracks by nucleating nano-scale damage zones. In addition, the contribution to energy absorption from the fracture of nanotubes bridging across nano-scale cracks and from nanotube pull-out from the matrix are mechanisms that can improve the fatigue life. An energy-based model was proposed to estimate the additional strain energy absorbed in fatigue. The distributed nanotubes in the matrix appear to both distribute damage as well as inhibit damage propagation resulting in an overall improvement in the fatigue strength of glass fiber composites.

Electrical,dielectric and surface wetting properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes/nylon-6 nanocomposites

This paper reports that the multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNT）/nylon-6 （PA6） nanocomposites with dif- ferent MWCNT loadings have been prepared by a simple melt-compounding method. The electrical, dielectric, and surface wetting properties of the CNT/PA6 composites have been studied. The temperature dependence of the conductivity of the CNT/PA6 composite with 10.0wt% CNT loading （σRT - 10^-4 S/cm） are measured, and afterwards a charge-energy-limited tunnelling model （In σ（T） - T^-1/2） is found. With increasing CNT weight percentage from 0.0 to 10.0 wt%, the dielectric constant of the CNT/PA6 composites enhances and the dielectric loss tangent increases two orders of magnitude. In addition, water contact angles of the CNT/PA6 composites increase and the composites with CNT loading larger than 2.0 wt% even become hydrophobic. The obtained results indicate that the electrical and surface properties of the composites have been significantly enhanced by the embedded carbon nanotubes.

Synthesis and Electrochemical Behaviors of a-MoO_3 Nanobelts/Carbon Nanotubes Composites for Lithium Ion Batteries

α-MoO3 nanobelts/carbon nanotubes（CNTs） composites were synthesized by simple hydrothermal method followed by CNTs incorporating, and characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. Cyclic voltammogram（CV）, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）, and galvanostatic charge/discharge testing techniques were employed to evaluate the electrochemical behaviors of α-MoO3 nanobelts/CNTs composites. The results exhibited that compared to bare α-MoO3 nanobelts, the α-MoO3 nanobelts/CNTs composites have better electrochemical performances as cathode materials for lithium ion battery, maintaining a reversible specific capacity of 222.2 mAh/g at 0.3 C after 50 cycles, and 74.1% retention of the first reversible capacity. In addition, the Rct value of the α-MoO3 nanobelts/CNTs is 13 Ω, much lower than 66 Ω of the bare α-MoO3 nanobelts. The better electrochemical performances of the α-MoO3 nanobelts/CNTs composites can be attributed to the effects of the high conductive CNTs network.