One-dimensional Carbon Materials Research Articles

Bimetallic metal-organic framework-derived porous one-dimensional carbon materials for electrochemical sensing of dopamine

In this work, we report the preparation of one-dimensional (1D) bimetallic zinc-cobalt BTC (BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with varying Zn/Co ratios and their conversion to hierarchical porous Co/C hybrids with a trace amount of Zn (<0.05 wt%). The crystallinity, surface area, and degree of graphitization of the resulting Co/C hybrid are governed by the Zn/Co ratio of the parent Zn-Co BTC MOF. The Co/C product derived from the Zn-rich Zn-Co BTC MOF (ZC31-BTC with a Zn/Co precursor ratio of 3:1) shows higher surface area and more amorphous structure than that derived from the Co-rich Zn-Co BTC MOF (ZC13-BTC with a Zn/Co precursor ratio of 1:3). When used for the electrochemical sensing of dopamine (DA), the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with ZC31-BTC700°C (ZC31-BTC carbonized at 700 °C) shows a sensitivity of 0.0995 nA nM−1 cm−2, a wide linear range of 0.1–500 µM, and a low limit of detection (LoD) of 0.04 µM (signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) = 3). The superior DA sensing performance of ZC31-BTC700°C is attributed to its high density of defects (evidenced by the high ID/IG ratio), rich mesopores (including small (<5 nm) and large mesopores (>5 nm)), and high surface area, leading to improved ion/electron transfer (based on the EIS analysis), and more electrochemically active sites (confirmed by ECSA measurements) to promote a greater oxidation of DA molecules. The anti-interference test of this ZC31-BTC700°C-modified GCE (ZC31-BTC700°C/GCE) indicates its high selectivity toward DA even in the presence of interferents, such as glucose, ascorbic acid, and uric acid. Moreover, the stability test indicates the good retainment of the current response of ZC31-BTC700°C/GCE toward DA over a period of 2 weeks.

Reduced Graphene Oxide Modified Nitrogen-Doped Chitosan Carbon Fiber with Excellent Electromagnetic Wave Absorbing Performance.

Lightweight and low-cost one-dimensional carbon materials, especially biomass carbon fibers with multiple porous structures, have received wide attention in the field of electromagnetic wave absorption. In this paper, graphene-coated N-doped porous carbon nanofibers (PCNF) with excellent wave absorption properties were successfully synthesized via electrostatic spinning, electrostatic self-assembly, and high-temperature carbonization. The obtained results showed that the minimum reflection loss of the absorbing carbon fiber obtained under the carbonization condition of 800 °C is -51.047 dB, and the absorption bandwidth of reflection loss below -20 dB is 10.16 GHz. This work shows that carbonization temperature and filler content have a certain effect on the wave-absorbing properties of fiber, graphene with nanofiber, and the design and preparation of high-performance absorbing materials by combining the characteristics of graphene and nanofibers and multi-component coupling to provide new ideas for the research of absorbing materials.

Ultrathin CNTs Film Based on Marangoni Effect for Strain Sensing Application

The Marangoni effect has been applied in the preparation of large-area ultrathin films. However, defects occur frequently during the transfer progress of ultrathin films to substrates, which limits its application in scalable and massive fabrication. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), as typical one-dimensional carbon materials, are widely used in wearable and flexible sensors due to their outstanding electrical and mechanical properties. In this paper, Marangoni-driven self-assembled CNTs film was obtained by injecting 0.5 mL 1 mg·mL−1 CNTs/ethanol dispersion on 100 cm2 water dropwise; the thickness, sheet resistance, and optical transmittance (at 550 nm) of the as-prepared ultrathin film were 38 nm, 7.3 kΩ/□, and 66.9%, respectively. The CNTs film was transferred onto polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to prepare a conductive composite of CNTs/PDMS film and the sheet resistance of the composite film reached 21.0 kΩ/□. Furthermore, the packaged PDMS/CNTs/PDMS (PCP) strain sensors with a sandwich-like structure exhibited satisfactory sensitivity with a gauge factor of 3.4 at 50% strain, a large working range (89%), and excellent stability (&gt;8000 cycles). The easy-making and low-cost sensors show great potential in wearable electronics, real-time motion detection, and electronic skin.

One dimensional carbon-based composites as cathodes for lithium-sulfur battery

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), owing to their much higher energy density compared to the traditional lithium-ion battery, are deemed as one of the most promising candidates for the energy storage system. However, several issues including shuttle effect, lithium dendrites, and volumetric expansion seriously impede the commercial applications of LSBs. One-dimensional carbon materials (1DCMs) have been widely used as the matrix material for LSBs due to their high surface area, superior conductivity, good flexibility, excellent mechanical stability, and functional modifiability. In this review, the recent progress in 1D carbon-based composites as cathode including metal compounds/1DCMs, MOFs/1DCMs, MXenes/1DCMs, and polymers/1DCMs were discussed. Different strategies for polysulfide confinement and analysis of the functions of various components in the composites were summarized detailly. In the end, the current challenges of LSBs were systematically summarized, and the future outlooks were proposed, aiming at providing a comprehensive insight into the design of new host materials for next-generation LSBs.

High aspect-ratio sycamore biomass microtube constructed permittivity adjustable ultralight microwave absorbent

Excessive conductivity of carbon-based materials led to poor impedance matching, hindering their electromagnetic absorbing application in aerospace and military fields. While, one-dimensional carbon materials are more favorable to build networks, satisfying impedance matching. One-dimensional carbon materials, such as carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, carbon microtubes, etc., are recently limited by strict preparation and hard to industrialize. Inspired by the traditional handicraft of candied haw, ZnO/porous carbon micron tubes (ZnO/PCMT), are achieved by conducting a dip-coating and thermal etching process on recycling the abandoned Sycamore microtube. The prepared ZnO/PCMT exhibits higher specific surface area (1076m2g−1) and excellent microwave absorption performance. With a filler loading of only 6.7wt.%, the ZnO/PCMT achieved a great electromagnetic wave absorbing performance. Such excellent ultralight absorption performance can be attributed to their distinct hollow tubular structure of Sycamore based carbon microtube, which can easily construct conductive networks, improving the impedance matching. This work expands a new direction for the development of one-dimensional natural Sycamore microtube as ultra-light and broadband high-performance microwave absorbing materials.

Heterogeneous network constructed by high aspect-ratio Kapok biomass microtube for lightweight and broadband microwave absorbent

Network-structured carbon materials are considered as a practical path to improve impedance matching. While one-dimensional carbon materials with unique large aspect ratio, can highly facilitate the construction of qualified network structures. Inspired by the naturally evolved biomass conduit system, we developed a novel Fe2O3@carbon microtube network (FN@CMT) with centimeter-level Kapok microtube as precursor, Fe2O3 nanoparticles as decoration. Notably, FN@CMT exhibits excellent absorption bandwidth of 7.09 GHz at ultralow filling ratio of 7.69 wt%, covering 88% of the Ku band. Such excellent EMW performance can be attributed to its unique 1D carbon microtube unit constructed network structure along with heterogeneous interfaces from Fe2O3 nanoparticles cluster. This investigation provides a new prototype for the development of novel EMW absorbing networks by taking advantages of the high aspect ratio one-dimension Kapok microtube unit.

Hierarchically porous carbon microfibers for solid-state supercapacitors

The architectures of sustainable carbon fibers are highly acquired from the perspective of supercapacitor (SC) applications, which has stimulated the exploration of advanced functional carbons for further enhancing the SC performance. Here, through integrating the strategies of ternary hybridization and chemical activation into one structure, hierarchically porous N-doped carbon microfiber sample (CPZ-AC), using a hybrid precursor of polyaniline (PANI) and ZIF-8 in situ grown on cotton thread, is rationally produced. It displays ideal capacitive properties especially with superior rate capability of 80% retention at a 100-fold rate. Moreover, the solid-state CPZ-AC//PVA/KOH (gel)//CPZ-AC SC achieves the highest power and energy densities of up to 4705.9 W kg−1 at 30 A g−1 and 5.2 Wh kg−1 at 0.5 A g−1, and decent cycling stability with 0.0015% capacitance decay per cycle within 10000 cycles at 4 A g−1. In addition, the device shows the applicability in portable electronics. This study may be extended to efficiently design ideal one-dimensional carbon materials promoting the blossom of carbon-based SCs.

Electronic applications of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in polymers: A short review

In today’s nano scale regime, a smart electronic device is attractive and has a primary role for majority of the world’s research community, particularly scientific and engineering community. Quasi one-dimensional carbon materials are an ideal material for flexible and wearable electronic applications. Significant progress has been made in developing electronics using carbon-based polymer composites. The incorporation of micro-materials and carbon nanomaterials in polymer has been attempted since the 1990 s and has shown a number of improved properties. In this review, the performance of the polymer composite with nanophase carbon materials is explored and their applications are discussed. In recent years, a wide range of carbon nanomaterials are used to transmit electrical signals for potential applications such as electronics, chemical sensors, mechanical sensors/actuators, and smart materials. Moreover, we have also discussed carbon-based materials, especially multi-walled carbon nanotubes, that are applied on a substrate using some printing technology for flexible electronics, and the progress of CNT-based RF antenna, textile, electromagnetic and interference shielding, and sensor applications has been reported.

Thermoelectric Properties of Carbon Nanotubes

Thermoelectric (TE) material is a class of materials that can convert heat to electrical energy directly in a solid-state-device without any moving parts and that is environmentally friendly. The study and development of TE materials have grown quickly in the past decade. However, their development goes slowly by the lack of cheap TE materials with high Seebeck coefficient and good electrical conductivity. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are particularly attractive as TE materials because of at least three reasons: (1) CNTs possess various band gaps depending on their structure, (2) CNTs represent unique one-dimensional carbon materials which naturally satisfies the conditions of quantum confinement effect to enhance the TE efficiency and (3) CNTs provide us with a platform for developing lightweight and flexible TE devices due to their mechanical properties. The TE power factor is reported to reach 700–1000 W / m K 2 for both p-type and n-type CNTs when purified to contain only doped semiconducting CNT species. Therefore, CNTs are promising for a variety of TE applications in which the heat source is unlimited, such as waste heat or solar heat although their figure of merit Z T is still modest (0.05 at 300 K). In this paper, we review in detail from the basic concept of TE field to the fundamental TE properties of CNTs, as well as their applications. Furthermore, the strategies are discussed to improve the TE properties of CNTs. Finally, we give our perspectives on the tremendous potential of CNTs-based TE materials and composites.

Effective Heat Transfer Pathways of Thermally Conductive Networks Formed by One-Dimensional Carbon Materials with Different Sizes.

We investigated the heat transfer behavior of thermally conductive networks with one-dimensional carbon materials to design effective heat transfer pathways for hybrid filler systems of polymer matrix composites. Nano-sized few-walled carbon nanotubes (FWCNTs) and micro-sized mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers (MPCFs) were used as the thermally conductive materials. The bulk density and thermal conductivity of the FWCNT films increased proportionally with the ultrasonication time due to the enhanced dispersibility of the FWCNTs in an ethanol solvent. The ultrasonication-induced densification of the FWCNT films led to the effective formation of filler-to-filler connections, resulting in improved thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity of the FWCNT-MPCF hybrid films was proportional to the MPCF content (maximum thermal conductivity at an MPCF content of 60 wt %), indicating the synergistic effect on the thermal conductivity enhancement. Moreover, the MPCF-to-MPCF heat transfer pathways in the FWCNT-MPCF hybrid films were the most effective in achieving high thermal conductivity due to the smaller interfacial area and shorter heat transfer pathway of the MPCFs. The FWCNTs could act as thermal bridges between neighboring MPCFs for effective heat transfer. Furthermore, the incorporation of Ag nanoparticles of approximately 300 nm into the FWCNT-MPCF hybrid film dramatically enhanced the thermal conductivity, which was closely related to a decreased thermal interfacial resistance at the intersection points between the materials. Epoxy-based composites loaded with the FWCNTs, MPCFs, FWCNT-MPCF hybrids, and FWCNT-MPCF-Ag hybrid fillers were also fabricated. A similar trend in thermal conductivity was observed in the polymer matrix composite with carbon-based hybrid films.

Perfect mechanical and robust electronic properties of new carbon nanothreads: A first principles study

We have investigated the mechanical and electronic properties of three types of one-dimensional carbon materials: diamond naonthreads (DNTs) and its mutational structure with CC triple bonds insertion (DNTs-C1 and DNTs-C2), using first-principles calculation. Our calculation results indicate that mechanical properties of DNTs can be obvious promoted by CC triple bonds inserted. Based on density function and deformation potential theory, electronic transport properties of DNTs are investigated. We find that DNTs, DNTs-C1 and DNTs-C2 are wide gap semiconductors. And the strain effect on band gap in DNTs, DNTs-C1 and DNTs-C2 weakens successively. Furthermore, the strain effect on carrier phonon-limited mobility in DNTs and DNTs-C1 is very limited. But the electron mobility in DNTs-C2 is very sensitive to compression stress due to the position of conduction band minimum shifted. Due to huge different between electron and hole mobility, DNTs behaves like n-type semiconductor, and DNTs-C1 behaves like p-type semiconductor. Our results suggest that DNTs, DNTs-C1 and DNTs-C2 have a wonderful application in lightweight and high-strength materials. Moreover, considering the wide gap and high mobility, they have potential applications on high-temperature devices, transparent conductors and so on.

The effect of carbon nanofibers conductivity on the extinction properties to millimeter wave

Carbon nanofibers is a new type of quasi one-dimensional carbon materials that has been paid more attention in recent years, and it has good conductivity which is related to the production method and process. To study the extinction properties of carbon nanofibers as interference material to millimeter wave, the integral equation of the carbon nanofibers inductive current is established based on the theory of electromagnetic field and solved by using of the Moment Method, and the formula of extinction cross-section is obtained. The effect of carbon nanofibers conductivity on the extinction capability to millimeter wave is analyzed via programming by Matlab, and the results show that the mass extinction coefficient of carbon nanofibers is closely related to its conductivity. For the millimeter wave with a certain frequency, the greater the ratio of length-to-diameter of carbon nanofibers is, the bigger the optimum electrical conductivity is. And for the carbon nanofibers with a certain size, the higher the millimeter wave frequency is, the bigger the optimum electrical conductivity is. The calculation results provide the theoretical basis for carbon nanofibers to be used as interference material to millimeter wave.

Towards Long‐Term Thermal Stability of Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells Using Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

In this study, the effect of incorporating multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the thermal stability of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was investigated. Under identical measurement conditions (aging at 80 °C for 240 h), DSSCs based on a bare TiO2 anode presented a significant loss in photoconversion efficiency (PCE), dropping to 59 % of their initial value, whereas the DSSCs based on a TiO2 -MWCNT nanocomposite anode attained a promising thermal stability with only 20 % loss of PCE. This degradation of cell performance is mainly associated with a dramatic reduction in the short-circuit current density (Jsc ). To understand the mechanisms that underpin these changes in device performance under thermal stress, both types of cells were investigated using various techniques. The incorporation of MWCNTs could eliminate the formation of cracks and improve electron charge transfer. The results of this study indicate a promising new method to enhance the thermal stability of DSSCs using a nanocomposite anode made of one-dimensional carbon materials.

Controllable synthesis of porous C x N y nanofibers with enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption property

Porous CxNy nanofibers are controllably synthesized by a simple two-step method. The prepared samples possess uniform micropores and a chemical composition of C0.73 N0.27 with a surface area of 329 m2 g−1. The obtained CxNy nanofibers exhibit remarkable electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption properties when compared with conventional one-dimensional carbon materials. The minimum reflection loss (RL) reaches −36 dB at 2.7 GHz when the ratio of the CxNy absorbent added in paraffin matrix is only 1:3. The bandwidth of the RL below −10 dB covers 7.7 GHz (8.1–15.8 GHz) at the sample thickness of 2.5 mm. A possible EM wave loss mechanism was proposed in detail. The multiple reflection and dielectric loss could govern the excellent EM absorption leading the product to a probable application in stealth materials.

Hydrothermal synthesis of manganese oxide encapsulated multiporous carbon nanofibers for supercapacitors

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of biomass to produce one-dimensional carbon materials with hierarchical pores is of significant importance. Here, we fabricate composites of MnOx-encapsulated multiporous carbon nanofibers (M-MCNFs) from naturally available carbohydrates through a dopamine-assisted HTC/ templating process. The introduction of dopamine aids in the formation of the morphology of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) by enhancing the interactions between the hard-templates and carbohydrates. The chosen cryptomelane hard-templates, which are superior to traditional hard-templates, are converted into Mn3O4 nanoparticles embedded in multiporous CNFs (MCNFs), eliminating the need for tedious post deposition procedures to introduce redox active sites. Hence, the obtained hybrids with large surface areas, hierarchical pores, and unique structures show great potential in supercapacitors. This economic and sustainable strategy paves a new way for synthesizing MCNFs and metal oxide-encapsulated MCNFs composites from biomass.

Pressure-controlled growth of piezoelectric low-dimensional structures in ternary fullerene C60/carbon nanotube/poly (vinylidene fluoride) based hybrid composites

Hybrid composites, consisting of polymers and nanostructured carbon allotropes, can exhibit different properties than their constituent components. In this work, the synergistic action of fullerene C60 and carbon nanotube (CNT) on poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was evaluated, in terms of the dispersion of the carbonaceous fillers in the polymer matrix during the composite preparation, and the control of crystalline morphology of the polymer at high pressure. The synergistic effect of the zero-dimensional and one-dimensional carbon materials resulted in a well dispersed ternary C60/CNT/PVDF based composite, which was simply fabricated by a physical and mechanical route. Furthermore, the pressure-controlled growth of piezoelectric low-dimensional crystalline structures of PVDF, including hollow nanowires and extended-chain lamellae, was achieved by the simultaneous introduction of C60 and CNT. Especially, PVDF nanowires with folded- and extended-chain lamellae as their substructures were obtained respectively by controlling the crystallization conditions of the ternary composite at high pressure. Under specific conditions, composite samples, which crystalline structures were totally with extended-chain β- or γ-form lamellae, further self-reinforced with extended-chain β-form nanowires, were successfully crystallized. The present study provides a facile and effective approach for the fabrication and the multi-level control of polar crystalline structures of a polymer based hybrid composite, with an overall good dispersion of zero- and one-dimensional nanostructured carbonaceous materials.

A comparison between field-emission properties of three one-dimensional carbon materials

Electron field-emission characteristics from three types of one-dimensional carbon materials, including single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) rope, polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber tow, and carbon microtree, were compared. It is found that the SWNT rope exhibits the best field-emission (FE) properties of low-emission voltage, large field enhancement factor, and good stability, which are attributed to its perturbing nano-sized tip and numerous emission sites on the tip and body. Carbon microtree has the poorest FE property due to its high electrical resistivity. This work may provide useful information for the selection of cathode materials with good FE properties in the design of large current carbon-based FE cathodes.

Resonance Raman spectroscopy in one-dimensional carbon materials

Brazil has played an important role in the development and use of resonance Raman spectroscopy as a powerful characterization tool for materials science. Here we present a short history of Raman scattering research in Brazil, highlighting the important contributions to the field coming from Brazilian researchers in the past. Next we discuss recent and important contributions where Brazil has become a worldwide leader, that is on the physics of quasi-one dimensional carbon nanotubes. We conclude this article by presenting results from a very recent resonance Raman study of exciting new materials, that are strictly one-dimensional carbon chains formed by the heat treatment of very pure double-wall carbon nanotube samples.