Carbon Nanotube Fibers Prepared by Activating Deactivated Iron Particles in Floating Catalyst Chemical Vapor Deposition Tail Gas

Shuaishuai Han,Yancai Zhang

doi:10.5755/j01.ms.23.3.17050

Shuaishuai Han, Yancai Zhang

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.23.3.17050

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Journal: Materials Science	Publication Date: Aug 4, 2017
Citations: 1	License type: publisher-specific-oa

Affiliation: Tianjin University

Abstract

Catalysts can determine the structure and properties of carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers fabricated using the floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD) method. The tail gas left over when CNT fibers are fabricated by the FCCVD method has been proven to contain deactivated iron nanoparticles, as well as carbide gas and hydrogen. This study demonstrates that the deactivated iron nanoparticles in tail gas can be successfully activated in a double furnace system under certain conditions. CNT fibers can be successfully prepared using the activated iron nanoparticles by adding the precursor without the catalyst. These CNT fibers are composed of double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) and have low density, high strength, and electrical conductivity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.23.3.17050

Highlights

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are characterized by a typical nanostructure along with extraordinary mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties [1 – 3]
This result indicates that Floating Catalyst Chemical Vapor Deposition (FCCVD) tail gas contains carbide gas and hydrogen, and CNTs and deactivated iron nanoparticles
Research shows that the deactivated iron nanoparticles in tail gas can be activated after reacting with hydrogen and water vapor at high temperature under certain conditions

Summary

Introduction

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are characterized by a typical nanostructure along with extraordinary mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties [1 – 3]. These features and their other functionalities make CNTs suitable for applications as structural and functional materials, including composites [4 – 7], conductors [8 – 10], catalyst supports [11, 12], and sensors [13, 14]. Several processes have been used to fabricate macroscopic CNT fibers, including wet spinning of CNT yarns [16 – 19], dry spinning of CNT yarns [20 – 23], and direct spinning of continuous fibers from CNT aerogel by Floating Catalyst Chemical Vapor Deposition (FCCVD) [24 – 27]. FCCVD is the irreplaceable method of fabricating CNT fibers, because it can meet large-scale commercial demand [28]. Because of its high degree of controllability and scalability, CVD is currently the most widely applied method for preparing CNT fibers

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Results

Conclusion