Temperature dependent evolution of the local electronic structure of atmospheric plasma treated carbon nanotubes: Near edge x-ray absorption fine structure study

Abstract

Near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy has been employed to obtain the temperature dependent evolution of the electronic structure of acid treated carbon nanotubes, which were further modified by dielectric barrier discharge plasma processing in an ammonia atmosphere. The NEXAFS studies were performed from room temperature up to 900°C. The presence of oxygen and nitrogen containing functional groups was observed in C K edge, N K edge, and O K edge NEXAFS spectra of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The N K edge spectra revealed three types of π* features, the source of which was decisively identified by their temperature dependent evolution. It was established that these features are attributed to pyridinelike, NO, and graphitelike structures, respectively. The O K edge indicated that both carbonyl (CO), π*(CO), and ether C–O–C, σ*(CO), functionalities were present. Upon heating in a vacuum to 900°C the π*(CO) resonances disappeared while the σ*(CO) resonances were still present confirming their higher thermal stability. Heating did not produce a significant change in the π* feature of the C K edge spectrum indicating that the tabular structure of the nanotubes is essentially preserved following the thermal decomposition of the functional groups on the nanotube surface.