Large-scale and controllable synthesis of metal-free nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers and nanocoils over water-soluble Na2CO3.

Qian Ding,Xiaosi Qi,Chak-Tong Au,Wei Zhong,Xueyin Song,Xiujuan Yao,Youwei Du

doi:10.1186/1556-276x-8-545

Abstract

Using acetylene as carbon source, ammonia as nitrogen source, and Na2CO3 powder as catalyst, we synthesized nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers (N-CNFs) and carbon nanocoils (N-CNCs) selectively at 450°C and 500°C, respectively. The water-soluble Na2CO3 is removed through simple washing with water and the nitrogen-doped carbon nanomaterials can be collected in high purity. The approach is simple, inexpensive, and environment-benign; it can be used for controlled production of N-CNFs or N-CNCs. We report the role of catalyst, the effect of pyrolysis temperature, and the photoluminescence properties of the as-harvested N-CNFs and N-CNCs.

Highlights

Since Iijima’s paper on helical carbon nanotubes, carbon nanomaterials (CNM) such as carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon nanofibers (CNF) have attracted great attention for their unique and outstanding electrical and mechanical properties [1,2,3,4]
It is envisaged that helical CNT exhibit novel and peculiar properties that are different from those of linear CNT
We found that the Na2CO3 catalyst prepared by us is active and selective for mass formation of nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers (N-CNFs) and nitrogen-doped CNC (N-CNC)

Summary

Introduction

Since Iijima’s paper on helical carbon nanotubes, carbon nanomaterials (CNM) such as carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon nanofibers (CNF) have attracted great attention for their unique and outstanding electrical and mechanical properties [1,2,3,4]. The helical CNT are composed of five-membered or seven-membered rings, having carbon atoms of sp and sp hybridization [5,6]. For CNM generation, methods such as arc discharge, laser ablation, hydrothermal carbonization, solvothermal reduction, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are used [23,24,25,26,27,28]. It is common to have metal impurities in the products, and the intrinsic properties of the as-obtained CNM are uncertain.

Methods

Results

Conclusion