Eugene Shulga

Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes towards the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media

In this work multi-walled carbon-nanotubes (MWCNTs) were doped with nitrogen using cyanamide (CM) or dicyandiamide (DCDA). To incorporate nitrogen into the CNT structure, high-temperature pyrolysis in an inert atmosphere was performed. For surface characterisation of nitrogen-doped CNTs (NCNTs) X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used. According to the results of XPS analysis, nitrogen was successfully incorporated into the carbon nanotube network. The electrocatalytic activity of NCNT catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media was examined using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) measurements. The NCNT-DCDA material showed a better ORR performance than the NCNT-CM catalyst. The RDE results reveal that the NCNT materials studied could be considered as interesting alternatives to Pt-based catalysts in alkaline membrane fuel cells.

Phase Transformations in Icosahedral Small Copper Particles during Their Annealing in Different Gas Media

Results from experiments on the annealing of icosahedral small particles (ISPs) of copper in different gas media are presented. The growth of nanowhisker structures and nanopores on the surfaces of ISPs is observed. The multilayer internal structure of annealed ISPs that incorporate a metallic core, cavities, and copper oxide layers is revealed.

Preparation and Characterization of Transparent Electrodes Based on CNT-s Doped Metal Oxides

In the present work, it is shown that carbon nanotube-doped transition metal oxides are potential candidates for use as ceramic transparent electrode materials. Used carbon nanotubes (CNT-s) are synthesized by using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Electrodes in shape of fibers are obtained via inexpensive and low temperature sol-gel method. Due to extraordinary electrical and optical properties of CNT-s and good chemical and physical stability of metal oxide ceramics, resulting composites could be an interesting subject for industry.