Shin-Hwa Tzing

Opening and thinning of multiwall carbon nanotubes in supercritical water

Supercritical water (SCW) in the presence and absence of oxygen is used for the first time for the opening and thinning of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The influence of variation of pressure, temperature, and time on the opening and thinning of MWNTs is examined. In SCW, opening and thinning of MWNTs is observed both in the presence and absence of oxygen. In addition, the presence of oxygen (∼2 mmol) shows improved thinning of MWNTs with the collapsed outer graphene layers tending towards the inner layers. The morphology of MWNTs are critically analyzed using transmission electron micrographs (TEM) and Raman spectra.

Morphological variation of multiwall carbon nanotubesin supercritical water oxidation

Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with different morphology were prepared using supercritical water (SCW) oxidation and investigated by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). TEM results indicate that the peeling and sharpening of MWNTs are influenced by the etching process in SCW oxidation, of which oxidation time and amount of oxygen used is crucial. A simplified etching model is proposed, which indicates that the difference of mean etching rate between two adjoining blocks causes the morphological variation of MWNTs. The EELS results show change in characteristic energy-loss peaks as a function of total shell numbers along longitudinal axis of individual peeled tube.

Transportation of silver nanopaticles in nanochannels of carbon nanotubes with supercritical water

Supercritical water (SCW) as a highly destructive environment has been utilized to open multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and to break silver aggregates into nanoparticles (diameter 2-20 nm). Water was drawn into open-ended MWNTs by capillary suction, pulling Ag nanoparticles into the MWNTs. The Ag nanoparticles (solid), presumably transported in the nanochannels of MWNTs by the fluidity of SCW, stacked, and fused to form nanorods, suggesting SCW associated with MWNTs (hollow interior) might be exploited as a nanoreactor.