Applications of three-dimensional carbon nanotube networks.

Manuela Scarselli,Mariano Venanzi,Emanuela Gatto,Francesco De Nicola,Maurizio De Crescenzi,Paola Castrucci,Ilaria Cacciotti,Francesca Nanni

doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.82

Abstract

In this paper, we show that it is possible to synthesize carbon-based three-dimensional networks by adding sulfur, as growth enhancer, during the synthesis process. The obtained material is self-supporting and consists of curved and interconnected carbon nanotubes and to lesser extent of carbon fibers. Studies on the microstructure indicate that the assembly presents a marked variability in the tube external diameter and in the inner structure. We study the relationship between the observed microscopic properties and some potential applications. In particular, we show that the porous nature of the network is directly responsible for the hydrophobic and the lipophilic behavior. Moreover, we used a cut piece of the produced carbon material as working electrode in a standard electrochemical cell and, thus, demonstrating the capability of the system to respond to incident light in the visible and near-ultraviolet region and to generate a photocurrent.

Highlights

In the last years, there has been growing interest in developing natural and synthetic three-dimensional architectures rather than two-dimensional ones because of the increase of active surface area throughout the entire 3D structure
We used a cut piece of the produced carbon material as working electrode in a standard electrochemical cell and, demonstrating the capability of the system to respond to incident light in the visible and near-ultraviolet region and to generate a photocurrent
To test the capability of the system to respond to incident light and generate a photocurrent, we cut a piece of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-sponge, which has a self-sustainable structure, and used it as the working electrode in a standard electrochemical cell

Summary

Introduction

There has been growing interest in developing natural and synthetic three-dimensional architectures rather than two-dimensional ones because of the increase of active surface area throughout the entire 3D structure. In this paper, we show that through carrying out a CVD synthesis with different precursors it is possible to synthesize three-dimensional carbon networks consisting of randomly interconnected nanostructures.

Results

Conclusion