Ruslan Sergiienko

Non-electrolytic synthesis of copper oxide/carbon nanocomposite by surface plasma in super-dehydrated ethanol.

Electrolytic processes are widely used to synthesize different nanomaterials and it does not depend on what kind of the method has been applied (wet-chemistry, sonochemistry, plasma chemistry, electrolysis and so on). Generally, the reactions in the electrolyte are considered to be reduction/oxidation (REDOX) reactions between chemical reagents or the deposition of matter on the electrodes, in line with Faraday’s law. Due to the presence of electroconductive additives in any electrolyte, the polarization effect of polar molecules conducting an electrical current disappears, when external high-strength electric field is induced. Because initially of the charge transfer always belongs of electroconductive additive and it does not depend on applied voltage. The polarization of ethanol molecules has been applied to conduct an electric current by surface plasma interaction for the synthesis of a copper oxide/carbon nanocomposite material.

Electronic Structure of Hollow Graphitic Carbon Nanoparticles Fabricated from Acetylene Carbon Black

Hollow graphitic carbon nanoparticles (HGCNs) obtained by catalytic graphitization of acetylene carbon black (ACB) were investigated using ultra-soft X-ray emission spectroscopy. The electronic structures of the ACB HGCNs were compared with those of HGCNs obtained from iron carbide-filled carbon nanocapsules (Fe3C@CNCs) and Q-graphenes. The occupation of the π sub-band decreased in the following sequence: Fe3C@CNC HGCNs > ACB HGCNs > Q-graphenes. This sequence can be explained by changes in the occupations of the C2p states due to the formation of bonds between carbon and residual metal atoms within the HGCNs. It was also found that the contribution of the overlapping of ppπ+ppσ-states in the ACB HGCN walls toward the spectra of the HGNCs was greater in comparison with the reference Q-graphenes. It was established that ACB was not fully transformed into the HGCNs. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy methods were used to study the spatial structures and morphologies of the fabricated HGCNs.

X-Ray Spectral Investigation of Carbon Nanocapsule and Graphite Nanosheet Electronic Structures

Ultrasoft X-ray emission spectroscopy (USXES) was used to investigate the electronic structures of FePt alloy included carbon nanocapsules (FePt@CNCs) and graphite nanosheets (GNSs). These materials were synthesized by electric plasma discharge in an ultrasonic cavitation field of liquid ethanol. Scanning and transmission electron microscopies were used to study the spatial structures and morphologies. The electronic structure of GNSs was compared with that of reference synthetic graphite powder and high surface area reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets with an average thickness of one graphene layer. Investigations of the electronic structures of the FePt@CNC and GNS mixture and GNSs obtained after magnetic separation of the mixture revealed that GNS graphene layers exhibited a smaller curvature than those of carbon nanocapsules, which widened the -subband of GNSs due to overlapping of the orbitals. Thicker GNSs had a narrower CKα emission band than RGO sheets, which was related to the greater overlapping of and orbitals in the more crumpled and corrugated RGO sheets.