Electroless deposition of Cu on multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Copper has been deposited on the surface of multiwailed carbon nanombes （MWNTs） and inside MWNTs by electroless deposition. The as-prepared Cu-MWNT composite materials have been characterized by X-ray diffractometer （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and electrochemical measurement. XRD analyses showed that Cu was a face-centered cubic （fcc） structure. The average size of Cu was calculated by Scherrer＇s formula from XRD data, and it was 11 nm. TEM revealed that Cu grains on the surface of MWNTs were uniform with the sizes of about 30-60 nm. The electrochemical measurement indicated that Cu-MWNT composite materials possessed fine electron conductivity.

Sensitive determination of fenpropathrin,cyhalothrin and deltamethrin in environmental water samples using multiwalled carbon nanotubes cartridge prior to HPLC

This paper described a new method for the trace determination of fenpropathrin, cyhalothrin and deltamethrin using multiwalled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） cartridge. Important parameters, such as the sample pH, eluent and its volume, sample flow rate and sample volume were investigated in detail. The linear ranges, the detection limits, and precisions （R.S.D.） were in the range of 0.1- 40 μg L^-11, 1.34.3 ng L^-1 and 2.3-2.8%, respectively. The performance of the proposed method was validated with real water samples, and the spiked recoveries were in the range of 91.7-117.8%, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method was an excellent alternative for the routine analysis of such pollutants in environmental samples. 2007 Qing Xiang Zhou. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

Photoluminescence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes excited at different wavelengths

In this paper the multiwalled carbon nanotubes （MWNTs） were synthesized by a chemical vapour deposition and the SEM graph shows that the sample has good construction. The micro-Raman spectrum shows the characteristic line of the MWNTs and an additional line produced by the defects on the outer surface of MWNTs. The photoluminescence （PL） spectra observed experimentally are variable under different excitation wavelengths and the strong excitation wavelength dependence of luminescence indicates a distribution of emitters which include electron π in excited states and the Van Hove singularities. The absorption spectra confirm the transition channels which are consistent with the PL emission.

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.

Self-Decoration of PtNi Alloy Nanoparticles on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes for Highly Efficient Methanol Electro-Oxidation

A simple one-pot method was developed to prepare Pt Ni alloy nanoparticles,which can be self-decorated on multiwalled carbon nanotubes in [BMIm][BF4] ionic liquid.The nanohybrids are targeting stable nanocatalysts for fuel cell applications.The sizes of the supported Pt Ni nanoparticles are uniform and as small as 1–2 nm.Pt-to-Ni ratio was controllable by simply selecting a Pt Ni alloy target.The alloy nanoparticles with Pt-to-Ni ratio of 1:1 show high catalytic activity and stability for methanol electro-oxidation.The performance is much higher compared with those of both Pt-only nanoparticles and commercial Pt/C catalyst.The electronic structure characterization on the Pt Ni nanoparticles demonstrates that the electrons are transferred from Ni to Pt,which can suppress the CO poisoning effect.

Effects of temperature change on the rheological property of modified multiwall carbon nanotubes

Solvent-free nanofluids hold promise for many technologically significant applications.The liquid-like behavior,a typical rheological property of solvent-free nanofluids,has aroused considerable interests.However,there has been still lack of efficient methods to predict and control the liquid-like behavior of solvent-free nanofluids.In this paper,we propose a semi-discrete dynamic system with stochastic excitation describing the temperature change effects on the rheological property of multiwall carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs)modified by grafting sulfonic acid terminated organosilanes as corona and tertiary amine as canopy,which is a typical covalent-type solvent-free nanofluid system.The vibration of the grafting branches is simulated by employing a structure-preserving approach,and the shear force of grafting branches at the fixed end is computed subsequently.By taking the shear forces as an excitation acting on the MWCNTs,the axial motion of the MWCNTs is solved with the 7-point Gauss-Kronrod quadrature rule.The critical temperature associated with the appearance of the liquid-like behavior as well as the upper bound of the moving speed of the modified MWCNTs is determined,which can be used to predict and control the liquid-like behavior of the modified MWCNTs in engineering applications.

Synthesis and thermal stability of multiwall carbon nanotubes reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites

Multiwall carbon nanotubes（MWNTs） reinforced aluminum composites were synthesized by hot press sintering. The thermal stability of MWNTs in the composite was investigated by transmission electron microscopy（TEM）. The results show that the impurities drop from 2% to 0.11% after the MWNTs are soaked with 95%H2SO4 and 66%HNO4 acids in an ultrasonator and washed with distilled water. In hot pressed composites, MWNTs distribute between aluminum powders and do not react with aluminum. When the composite was held at 800℃ for 1h, MWNTs react with aluminum and form Al4C3 phase, which are small polygons and distribute in the aluminum grains. Although Al4C3 phase still forms when the composite was held at 1000℃ for 1h, its morphology changes to a continuous band and distributes along the origin aluminum powder boundaries. So MWNTs are unstable in aluminum matrix composites that are kept above the liquidus temperature of aluminum.

PRODUCTION OF HIGHLY GRAPHITIZED MULTIWALlED CARBON ANOTUBES

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes ( MWNTs) were prepared by DCarc dischargein hydrogen gas, and werethermally purified byinfrared radiation in air. The morphology of pristineand purified MWNTs was observed by scanning electron microscope ( SEM) , and the crys tallinestructureand perfection wereinvestigated by high resolution transmission electron mi croscope( HRTEM) and Raman spectrometer. Itcameto the conclusion thatthese MWNTs possessed a high degreeof graphitization and very narrow centralchannel(about1 0 nm indiameter) , giving risetotheappearanceof breathing modesfor MWNTs.

Highly conjugated water soluble CdSe quantum dots to multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Highly conjugated multiwalled carbon nanotube-quantum dot heterojunctions were synthesized by ethylene carbodiimide coupling procedure. The functional multiwalled carbon nanotube with carboxylic groups on sidewall could react with the amino group of L-cysteine capped CdSe quantum dots and then resulted in nanotube-quantum dot heterojunctions. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the heterojunctions.

Development of a reversed dispersive based graphene functionalized with multiwalled carbon nanotubes for detection ofβ2-agonists in pork by high-performance liquid chromatography

A reliable and inexpensive pretreatment procedure in the determination ofβ2-agonists in pork was developped.The procedure used a nanocomposite of multiwalled carbon nanotubes(CNTs)functionalized with graphene(rGO)as the reversed dispersive sorbent.It was analyzed after purification by highperformance liquid chromatography,the extraction time and the properties of the nanocomposite were optimized.Under optimized conditions,present method has linear response over concentration range of 0.5–50 ng/mL in pork samples with a satisfactory detection limit close to 0.1 ng/mL.The precisions of the current method(coefficient of variation)are lower than 5%,while recoveries are more than 98.3%.The nanocomposite exhibited high adsorptivity,long-term storage stability,satisfactory anti-interfering activity and high selectivity toward2-agonists compared with those of rGO and CNTs.

Multiwall Carbon Nanotube Modified Electrochemical Sensor for Reactive Black 5

Cyclic voltammograms of reactive black5 (RB5) at different pHs in the range 1.0 - 13.0 on multiwall carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode revealed the presence of one well-defined irreversible anodic peak around 975 mV in acidic and neutral pHs. Adsorption controlled oxidation observed at acidic pH 1.0 resulted in the maximum peak current response in cyclic voltammograms. A systematic differential pulse stripping voltammetric studies were carried out using the modified electrode at pH 1.0. The accumulation parameters, accumulation potential and time were optimized for maximum adsorption of the dye which was ascertained from the SEM photographs and XRD results. The stripping parameters were optimized and calibration was made under optimum conditions. The range of study was from 0.5 ppm to 100 ppm and the lower limit of determination was 100 ppm. Five identical experiments were carried out and the RSD value obtained was 2.5% suggesting good reproducibility. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine the concentration of dye in the fabric and wastewater after dyeing.

Glass-Reinforced Plastic Filled by Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes and Their Modified Forms

The effect of modifying the surface of multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNT’s) by oxygen and nitrogen on the strength characteristics of the fiberglass filled with them was investigated by testing for tension and bending. The method of obtaining nitrogen-containing nanostructures is developed. It was shown that in the epoxide system LR285-LH286 hydrophobic CNT’s (outgoing) at introducing into the catalyst polymerization of LH286, increase the strength with respect to unreinforced CNT’s by 48% - 54%. Oxidized CNT’s (200 A?h/kg) introduced into the resin LR285 increase the strength by 59%. The distribution of the filler particles in size, both in the epoxy resin and in the catalyst, depends on their concentration nonlinear, and correlates with the strength characteristics of the composite.

Biodegradable Chitosan/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composite for Bone Tissue Engineering

In this work the influence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) on mechanical properties was evaluated also the osteoinduction mechanism in Chitosan/MWCNT composite is reported. The morphology and the mechanical properties of the scaffolds were controlled by varying solvent ratios, quenching temperatures and carbon nanotubes concentration. In vitro cell culture of Sprague-Dawley rat’s osteoblasts was used to evaluate the phenotype expression of cells in the scaffolds. The presence of MWCNT in a chitosan matrix improving its mechanical properties and sustain osteoblast growth and differentiation that represent a potential application of the Chitosan/MWCNT as biomaterial for bone tissue engineering.

Adsorption of Silver Nanoparticles from Aqueous Solution by Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are becoming an emerging pollutant of the environment. In this study, the efficacy of Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTS) to remove AgNPs from aqueous solution at a concentration of 250 and 500 mg/100 ml MWCNTS was investigated. The results showed that the adsorption of AgNPs by 250 and 500 mg/100 ml MWCNTS after a contact time of 10 min., 30 min., 60 min., 120 min. and 240 min was 33.95%, 34.36%, 40.32%, 45.33%, 58.53% and 57.29%, 61.27%, 64.89%, 87.21%, 88.58%, respectively. The statistical analysis of data showed that, after adding 250 and 500 mg/100 ml MWCNTS, the total residues of AgNPs were significantly reduced in all MWCNTS exposed samples when compared to the control groups (P < 0.05). Moreover, at the two used concentrations, there were significant differences between 240 min. and all other contact times. The result concluded that the removal percent of AgNPs from aqueous solution was increased with the increase in contact time and concentrations of MWCNTS. Additionally, MWCNTS are expected to be potential adsorbent in the future due to their high removal capacity of nano-sized silver.

Removal of Lead Ions from Wastewater Using Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Tris(2-Aminoethyl)Amine

Recently, many attempts have been made to use carbon nanotubes in analytical chemistry, especially in adsorption of heavy metal ions from water. In this study, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized with tris(2-aminoethyl) amine. The functionalized nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), elemental analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. The results revealed that the functionalization reaction was successfully accomplished. Lead adsorption from water was carried out using functionalized MWCNTs and measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The effects of pH, shaking time, initial metal ion concentration, and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption process were studied via batch method. The results obtained showed that removal of lead ions strongly depended on the pH. Desorption study revealed that lead ions adsorbed on the functionalized MWCNTs could be desorbed at pH 3 due to breakage of complexes formed on the sorbent surface. Maximum adsorption capacity of the sorbent under the optimal conditions was 43 mg/g. This favorable adsorption capacity suggests that functionalized carbon nanotubes can be applied for removal of lead from water solutions. The data obtained were fitted with the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm adsorption models and Langmuir model showed better agreement with the experimental data.

A glance on the effects of temperature on axisymmetric dynamic behavior of multiwall carbon nanotubes

In this paper the effects of temperature on the radial breathing modes （RBMs） and radial wave propaga- tion in multiwall carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） are inves- tigated using a continuum model of multiple elastic isotropic shells. The van der Waals forces between tubes are simulated as a nonlinear function of interlayer spacing of MWCNTs. The governing equations are solved using a finite element method. A wide range of innermost radius-to-thickness ratio of MWCNTs is considered to enhance the investigation. The presented solution is verified by comparing the results with those reported in the literature. The effects of temperature on the van der Waals interaction coefficient between layers of MWCNTs are examined. It is found that the variation of the van der Waals interaction coefficient at high temperature is sensible. Subsequently, variations of RBM frequencies and radial wave propagation in MWCNTs with temperatures up to 1 600 K are illustrated. It is shown that the thick MWC- NTs are more sensible to temperature than the thin ones.

Nanostructured multilayer thin films of multiwalled carbon nanotubes/gold nanoparticles/glutathione for the electrochemical detection of dopamine

In the present study, multiwalled carbon nanotubes（MWCNTs）, gold nanoparticles（AuN Ps）, and glutathione（GSH） were used to fabricate multilayer nanoscale thin films. The composite thin films were fabricated by layer-by-layer technique as the films were constructed by the alternate deposition of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes. The MWCNTs were modified via a noncovalent surface modification method using poly（diallydimethylammonium chloride） to form a cationic polyelectrolyte. An anionic polyelectrolyte was prepared by the chemical reduction of HAuCl_4 using sodium citrate as both the stabilizing and reducing agent to form anionic AuN Ps. GSH was used as an electrocatalyst toward the electro-oxidation of dopamine. The constructed composite electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity toward dopamine with a short response time and a wide linear range from 1 to 100 mmol/L. The limits of detection and quantitation of dopamine are（0.316 ± 0.081） mmol/L and（1.054 ± 0.081） mmol/L, respectively. The method is satisfactorily applied for the determination of dopamine in plasma and urine samples to obtain the recovery in the range from 97.90% to 105.00%.

Cu(Ⅱ) Complex/Multiwall Carbon Nanotube Modified Electrode for the Determination of Ascorbic Acid

A sensitive and selective method for the determination of ascorbic acid（AA） using [Cu（phen）2]2＋/multiwalled carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode was developed. Electrochemical behavior and surface characteristics of the modified electrode were studied using scanning electrode microscopy（SEM）, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） and cyclic voltammetry（CV）. The experimental results showed that the modified electrode enhanced the electrochemical response of AA and exhibited good analytical performance for AA determination from 10 to 1 042 ？mol/L with a low detection limit of 9.67μmol/L（S/N=3）. The modified electrode was also applied to the determination of AA in the Vitamin tablets and showed good recovery.

Development of Chitosan/Poly(L-Lactide)/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

This work focuses to improve the mechanical properties and investigates the growth of osteoblasts on a degradable chitosan/poly(L-lactide)/carbon nanotubes composite for tissue engineering. The morphological and mechanical properties characterizations were performed using scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and rheometrics analysis system (RSA). Osteoblasts differentiation was determined by alkaline phosphatase activity, total number cells by an Alamar Blue assay, cell attachment and proliferation were visualized qualitatively using SEM, mineralization was characterized by transformed infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The results suggest that the chitosan/poly(L-lactide)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites exhibit the ability to promote cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation on their surface.

Temperature Effect on Elasticity of Swollen Composite Formed from Polyacrylamide(PAAm)-Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes(MWNTs)

Composites formed from Polyacrylamide (PAAm)-Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were prepared via free radical crosslinking copolymerization with different amounts of MWNTs varying in the range between 0.1 and 50 wt%. The temperature variations of the elastic modulus, G of the PAAm-MWNT composite due to volume phase transition were measured by using tensile testing technique. The composite preserves the ability to undergo the volume phase transition and its elastic modulus and toughness (T) are found strongly dependent on temperature. It is observed that elastic modulus increased when temperature is increased from 30?C to 60?C. Toughness, however presented the reversed behavior versus temperature compare to the elastic modulus.