Preparation And Application Of Carbon Nanotubes Supported Metal Nanoparticles

Since the discovery by Iijima in1991, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have evoked wide interest due to their remarkable properties. In recent years, considerable efforts have been devoted to decorate CNTs with a variety of metal nanoparticles and measure the unique electrical, magnetic and optical properties of the metal nanoparticles-CNTs composite materials. In this thesis, our main aim is to decorate CNTs with metal nanoparticles and find some application for the metal nanoparticles-CNTs composite materials. Our main research is focused in two aspects:We introduced a novel work on the synthesis of Ag-multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by wrapping MWCNTs with dialdehyde starch (DAS) and reducing Ag+using DAS as complexant and reductant. The process was simple, economical, environment friendly and proceeded at room temperature. The Ag-MWCNTs were analyzed by TEM, FT-IR, XRD and AAS, respectively. The as prepared Ag-MWCNTs were used as antibacterial materials against E. coli, B. subtilis, B. megaterium, M. tetragenus, and exhibited superior antibacterial activities.We explored a simple and novel method to fill multiwalled carbon nanotubes with Ni-Fe alloys by methylbenzene-oriented constant current electrodeposition. This method was time-saving, economical, environment friendly and proceeded at low temperature. A possible mechanism of electrodepositing Ni-Fe alloys inside MWCNTs was discussed in this study. The Ni-Fe alloys filled MWCNTs were analyzed by TEM, FT-IR, XRD, VSM and AAS. The Ni-Fe alloys filled MWCNTs with stoichiometries from (100:0) to (60:40) as catalysts were used in direct hydrazine (N2H4)-air fuel cells to determine the optimum composition for hydrazine electrocatalysis.