Abstract
Carbon nanotubes were synthesized by using a nanostructured conducting polymer—the polypyrrole nanofiber via microwave radiation. The radiation time was set to be 30, 60, and 90 seconds, respectively. The morphological evolvements of the as-synthesized carbon nanotubes with increased radiation time (e.g., shape, diameter, wall structure, and catalyst size) were carefully investigated, and the possible growth mode was discussed in detail. It was found that the growth mode of the carbon nanotubes synthesized from the conducting polymer substrate under microwave radiation was complex and cannot be simply interpreted by either a “tip” or “base” growth model. A new growth mode of the “liquifying cascade growth” was observed for the as-synthesized carbon nanotubes, as their growth was directed by a series of liquified iron nanoparticles with sequentially decreasing sizes, similar to the cascade of liquid droplets. And it could provide useful insights for the morphological and structural designs of the carbon nanotubes prepared by related microwave-based methods.
Highlights
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) represent a special onedimensional allotrope of graphite with distinct thermal, electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties [1]
As the microwave time increases to 60 s, significant changes in the morphology can be observed for the as-obtained CNTs, compared to the 30 s situation
We detailedly investigated the morphological evolvement of the CNTs synthesized by using Ppy nanofibers and ferrocene under microwave radiation
Summary
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) represent a special onedimensional allotrope of graphite with distinct thermal, electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties [1]. This triggers the decomposition of ferrocene to generate iron (Fe) nanoparticles as the catalyst and gaseous hydrocarbons as the carbon source to initiate the CNT growth. Either a “tip growth” or “base growth” model has been proposed to the CNTs synthesized by using the conducting polymer-based microwave techniques, deducing from the location of the catalyst nanoparticles (NPs) [3, 6]. These assumptions are rather empirical and insufficient to describe the internal growth modes of CNTs synthesized by the conducting polymer microwave technique according to our experimental observations. A new possible growth mode of the CNTs synthesized by conducting polymer-based microwave techniques is proposed
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