Accurate control of the covalent functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes for the electro-enzymatically controlled oxidation of biomolecules

• Naoual Allali,
• Veronika Urbanova,
• Mathieu Etienne,
• Xavier Devaux,
• Martine Mallet,
• Brigitte Vigolo,
• Jean-Joseph Adjizian,
• Chris P. Ewels,
• Sven Oberg,
• Alexander V. Soldatov,
• Edward McRae,
• Yves Fort,
• Manuel Dossot and
• Victor Mamane

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2750–2762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.257

• surface of the CNTs. This system can be applied to biosensing, as exemplified for glucose detection. The well-controlled and well-characterized functionalization of essentially clean SWCNTs enabled us to establish the maximum level of impurity content, below which the f-SWCNT intrinsic electrochemical

• activity is not jeopardized. Keywords: biosensing; carbon nanotubes; covalent functionalization; electrocatalysis; ferrocene; Introduction Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been recognized as interesting candidates for developing electrochemical sensors for almost two decades [1][2][3]. They have been used to

• as biosensors: the water solubility and the cleanliness of employed CNTs in order to avoid misinterpreted results. The solubility of CNTs in water, a usual solvent for biosensors, is quite low. The strategies used to increase their water solubility have been either i) to chemically modify them by

Nanocellulose: Recent advances and its prospects in environmental remediation

• Katrina Pui Yee Shak,
• Yean Ling Pang and
• Shee Keat Mah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2479–2498, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.232

• graphitic carbon nitride [2][3], carbon nanodots [4], and two-dimensional carbon-based nanocomposites [5][6][7] are a few trending nanomaterials that have already found extensive applications in both environmental remediation and energy generation. In the past, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received a great

• deal of attention as materials for environmental remediation due to their impressive mechanical properties and superior adsorption capability. However, the need for non-renewable sources such as fossil fuel to produce CNTs remains a challenge. As of late, research progression in environmental science

• continues to push for materials which are renewable, biocompatible, and less toxic as a replacement for CNTs. Given the abundance of plant resources, plant extracts are the most studied category to date for the synthesis of green nanomaterials [8]. Cellulose, one of the most abundant natural polymers, has

Metal-free catalysis based on nitrogen-doped carbon nanomaterials: a photoelectron spectroscopy point of view

• Mattia Scardamaglia and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2015–2031, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.191

• -free catalyst for the ORR had not been considered feasible [9][10] until two fundamental milestones had risen the interest on carbon as an effective replacement of Pt for catalysis. The first one was the prediction of the remarkable electrical conducting properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in 1993

• vCNTs, to randomly oriented N-CNTs, and, in particular, to commercially available platinum-loaded carbon (Vulcan XC-72R), as reported in Figure 1. The electrochemical mechanism for the ORR was the same for aligned and disordered CNTs. The improved electrocatalytic performance of vCNTs was associated

• with a better-defined surface area of the aligned tips at the interface with the electrolyte solution, which facilitates the electrolyte/reactant diffusion. A strong enhancement of the currents was observed when comparing N-CNTs to undoped nanotubes. Furthermore, they demonstrated that the glassy N

Defect formation in multiwalled carbon nanotubes under low-energy He and Ne ion irradiation

• Santhana Eswara,
• Jean-Nicolas Audinot,
• Brahime El Adib,
• Maël Guennou,
• Tom Wirtz and
• Patrick Philipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1951–1963, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.186

• to differences in stopping power and sputter behaviour. Keywords: carbon nanotubes; helium ion microscope; ion irradiation; Raman; simulations; Introduction Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated intensively due to their excellent properties [1]. Modifying and tuning them by electron or ion

• irradiation is part of these studies [2]. Irradiation-induced defects affect the elastic modulus and the tensile strength of CNTs [3]. For example, for multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), the presence of a small number of defects can increase the interlayer shear strength by several orders of magnitude [4

• ]. In general, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have the tendency to group in bundles. By electron irradiation the different CNTs can be linked by inter-tube bridging, which allows the bending modulus to be increased by a factor 30 [5]. Similar results can be obtained by ion irradiation. Si

SO₂ gas adsorption on carbon nanomaterials: a comparative study

• Deepu J. Babu,
• Divya Puthusseri,
• Frank G. Kühl,
• Sherif Okeil,
• Michael Bruns,
• Manfred Hampe and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1782–1792, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.169

• conditions), carbon-based adsorbents are particularly interesting for SO2 removal. In fact, activated carbon materials are one of the most widely used sorbents for SO2 recovery [1]. Over the past two decades, a rich family of different carbon nanomaterials such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon

• –mesopores and are interesting for gas adsorption applications as they can be produced in large quantities with high purity [25][26]. CNTs have a well-defined structure as well and can be envisioned as a seamlessly rolled up graphene sheet. Since in a SWNT, the inside and the outside surfaces are available

• for adsorption, the theoretical surface area is in excess of 2500 m2/g [27]. However, in practice the surface area is much lower as CNTs seldom exist as isolated SWNTs but typically aggregate to form bundles that reduce the available surface area significantly. Depending on the synthesis method, the

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes coated with zinc oxide nanoparticles as sulfur encapsulator for high-performance lithium/sulfur batteries

• Yan Zhao,
• Zhengjun Liu,
• Liancheng Sun,
• Yongguang Zhang,
• Yuting Feng,
• Xin Wang,
• Indira Kurmanbayeva and
• Zhumabay Bakenov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1677–1685, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.159

• ” or ”confine” the S atoms in the cathode, and, therefore, reduce any losses of S. As an excellent conductive agent, carbon-based materials, e.g., carbon black, graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), have been widely used in Li/S composite cathode materials [3]. In addition, by doping with N and a

Cr(VI) remediation from aqueous environment through modified-TiO₂-mediated photocatalytic reduction

• Rashmi Acharya,
• Brundabana Naik and
• Kulamani Parida

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1448–1470, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.137

• six sections. The optical and electrochemical characteristics of modified TiO2 photocatalysts are discussed in the first section. In the second section, we have reviewed how carbon-based advanced materials like reduced graphene oxide (RGO), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon dots (CDs) improve the

• (e.g., MFe2O4) results in a smaller arc radius of the Nyquist plot, as shown in Figure 6, and hence, better charge transport is observed [97]. Modification of TiO2 with carbon-based advanced materials Advanced carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene and its derivatives, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and

• TiO2 modified with reduced graphene oxides (RGOs), CNTs and CDs. The various preparation methods of modified photocatalysts, conditions for photocatalytic reduction, source of illumination, percentage of Cr(VI) reduction and the superior performance of the composite photocatalysts in comparison with

New 2D graphene hybrid composites as an effective base element of optical nanodevices

• Olga E. Glukhova,
• Igor S. Nefedov,
• Alexander S. Shalin and
• Мichael М. Slepchenkov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1321–1327, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.125

• modelled by two graphene monolayers between which single-walled CNTs with different diameters were regularly arranged at different distances from each other. Spectra of the real and imaginary parts of the diagonal elements of the surface conductivity tensor for four topological models of the hybrid

• little investigated modifications of graphene is a 2D-hybrid composite composed of graphene monolayers and CNTs covalently bonded to them [5][6][7][8]. The hybrid 2D film exhibits high performance as photosensitive element of photodetectors in the range of 100–700 nm. It was found that a single photon

• absorbed by the film induces electron transport of 105 electrons, and the response time amounts to ca. 100 microseconds [9]. It should be noted that modern synthesis technologies for such composites have allowed us to provide “cross-linking” between CNTs and graphene during synthesis without further

The electrical conductivity of CNT/graphene composites: a new method for accelerating transmission function calculations

• Olga E. Glukhova and
• Dmitriy S. Shmygin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1254–1262, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.117

• (CNTs)/graphene. The electrical conductance of different models of this material was calculated in two mutually perpendicular directions. Regularities in resistance values were found. Keywords: carbon composites; electronic properties; interpolation; quantum transport; transmission function

• . The Fermi level is in the interval (−4.88 eV; −4.73 eV), that is, it is shifted downward compared to ideal CNTs of the same diameter (−4.66 eV). Conductance and resistance behave non-monotonically. It can be said that the resistance oscillates around a value of 12 kΩ in the Y-direction for single

Electrostatic force spectroscopy revealing the degree of reduction of individual graphene oxide sheets

• Yue Shen,
• Ying Wang,
• Yuan Zhou,
• Chunxi Hai,
• Jun Hu and
• Yi Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1146–1155, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.106

• sheets [23], carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [24] and so on. SPFM [25] and electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) [26] have revealed a step-by-step reduction process in GO sheets. However, when the reduction reactions are completed, it is hard for these methods to identify the small difference between GO sheets

Review on nanoparticles and nanostructured materials: history, sources, toxicity and regulations

• Jaison Jeevanandam,
• Ahmed Barhoum,
• Yen S. Chan,
• Alain Dufresne and
• Michael K. Danquah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1050–1074, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.98

• morphologies such as hollow tubes, ellipsoids or spheres. Fullerenes (C60), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers, carbon black, graphene (Gr), and carbon onions are included under the carbon-based NMs category. Laser ablation, arc discharge, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are the important

• town, the main source of atmospheric micro- and nanoparticles is automobile exhaust [88]. Amongst the types of automobile exhaust, diesel engines release 20–130 nm sized particles whereas gasoline engines release 20–60 nm sized particles [89][90]. It has been found that CNTs and fibers are released as

Single-crystalline FeCo nanoparticle-filled carbon nanotubes: synthesis, structural characterization and magnetic properties

• Rasha Ghunaim,
• Maik Scholz,
• Christine Damm,
• Bernd Rellinghaus,
• Rüdiger Klingeler,
• Bernd Büchner,
• Michael Mertig and
• Silke Hampel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1024–1034, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.95

• Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany Kurt-Schwabe-Institut für Mess- und Sensortechnik e.V. Meinsberg, 04736 Waldheim, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.9.95 Abstract In the present work, we demonstrate different synthesis procedures for filling carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with equimolar binary nanoparticles of the type Fe

• –Co. The CNTs act as templates for the encapsulation of magnetic nanoparticles and provide a protective shield against oxidation as well as prevent nanoparticle agglomeration. By variation of the reaction parameters, we were able to tailor the sample purity, degree of filling, the composition and size

• -filled CNTs show significant enhancement in the coercive field as compared to the corresponding bulk material, which make them excellent candidates for several applications such as magnetic storage devices. Keywords: carbon nanotubes; crystal structure; encapsulation; Fe–Co binary nanoparticles

A review of carbon-based and non-carbon-based catalyst supports for the selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide

• Shahreen Binti Izwan Anthonysamy,
• Syahidah Binti Afandi,
• Mehrnoush Khavarian and
• Abdul Rahman Bin Mohamed

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 740–761, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.68

• catalyst supports for nitric oxide (NO) removal through selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with ammonia are examined in this review. A number of carbon-based materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), activated carbon (AC), and graphene (GR) and non-carbon-based materials, such as Zeolite Socony Mobil–5

• catalysts have been widely studied due to their high surface area, porosity, ability to regenerate and be reused, and good support properties [17]. Several metal oxides were impregnated with carbon-based materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), activated carbon (AC), activated carbon nanofibres (ACNFs

• materials are found suitable for use in most catalytic process applications. Although carbonious materials have traditionally been used as supports for catalysts in heterogeneous catalytic processes, they are becoming more familiar as catalysts of their own [63][64][65]. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), activated

Single-step process to improve the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube yarn

• Maria Cecilia Evora,
• Xinyi Lu,
• Nitilaksha Hiremath,
• Nam-Goo Kang,
• Kunlun Hong,
• Roberto Uribe,
• Gajanan Bhat and
• Jimmy Mays

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 545–554, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.52

• Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA 10.3762/bjnano.9.52 Abstract Carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns exhibit low tensile strength compared to conventional high-performance carbon fibers due to the facile sliding of CNTs past one another. Electron beam (e-beam) irradiation was employed for in a

• single-step surface modification of CNTs to improve the mechanical properties of this material. To this end, CNT yarns were simultaneously functionalized and crosslinked using acrylic acid (AA) and acrylonitrile (AN) in an e-beam irradiation process. The chemical modification of CNT yarns was confirmed

• electrical properties (Young’s modulus of 1 TPa, tensile strength above 100 GPa), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are promising materials for various advanced technologies, including CNT-reinforced polymer composites [1][2]. Although many investigations have been carried out with these materials, it still remains a

Engineering of oriented carbon nanotubes in composite materials

• Razieh Beigmoradi,
• Abdolreza Samimi and
• Davod Mohebbi-Kalhori

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 415–435, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.41

• -45639, Iran 10.3762/bjnano.9.41 Abstract The orientation and arrangement engineering of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in composite structures is considered a challenging issue. In this regard, two groups of in situ and ex situ techniques have been developed. In the first, the arrangement is achieved during

• CNT growth, while in the latter, the CNTs are initially grown in random orientation and the arrangement is then achieved during the device integration process. As the ex situ techniques are free from growth restrictions and more flexible in terms of controlling the alignment and sorting of the CNTs

• , they are considered by some as the preferred technique for engineering of oriented CNTs. This review focuses on recent progress in the improvement of the orientation and alignment of CNTs in composite materials. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of the processes are discussed as well as their

Review: Electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based nanoelectromechanical switches – materials solutions and operational conditions

• Liga Jasulaneca,
• Jelena Kosmaca,
• Raimonds Meija,
• Jana Andzane and
• Donats Erts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 271–300, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.29

• change of the chemical composition of the contacting materials. Electrical-current-induced thermal effects have been studied in various one-dimensional nanostructures such as Si [92], Ge [10][54], carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [93][94][95], GaN [96][97] and ZnTe [98]. The evolution of a nanocontact between a

• . Several CNT-based relays and switches have been fabricated using the bottom-up arrangement of CNTs, including dielectrophoresis [33], controlled growth of CNTs [34][37], dispersion coating [12][35][36], nanomanipulation [15][32] techniques and electron beam lithography/metal sputtering for the fabrication

• voltages for these switches were relatively high at 20–40 V. The high current density that is caused by the high actuation voltage in CNTs during switching cycles can be lowered by the use of an insulating layer [15] or by the choice of the appropriate type of CNTs. For example, studies performed on

Dynamic behavior of a nematic liquid crystal with added carbon nanotubes in an electric field

• Emil Petrescu and
• Cristina Cirtoaje

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 233–241, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.25

• Emil Petrescu Cristina Cirtoaje University Politehnica of Bucharest, Department of Physics, Splaiul Independenţei 313, 060042, Bucharest, Romania 10.3762/bjnano.9.25 Abstract The dynamic behavior of a nematic liquid crystal with added carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in an electric field was analyzed. A

• theoretical model based on elastic continuum theory was developed and the relaxation times of nematic liquid crystals with CNTs were evaluated. Experiments made with single-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed in nematic 4-cyano-4’-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) indicated a significant difference of the relaxation time

• Dierking and co-workers [13][14] proved an alignment of CNTs parallel to the liquid crystal molecules, so we may assume that the anchoring angle α is neglectable. Thus, Equation 11 becomes: When exposed to an external electric field higher than the critical Fréedericksz transition threshold the molecules

Dielectric properties of a bisimidazolium salt with dodecyl sulfate anion doped with carbon nanotubes

• Doina Manaila Maximean,
• Viorel Cîrcu and
• Constantin Paul Ganea

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 164–174, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.19

• melting and clearing points. Hence, there is the interest to design such materials for further electro-optical applications [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nanoparticles were also dispersed in LCs [33][34][35][36]. It is well-known that the order of the LCs can be

• imposed on the CNTs in such a way that the alignment axis of the CNTs is driven by the LC reorientation controlled by an electric field [37]. The concentration and the spatial distribution of charges in the LC matrix will be affected by the presence of CNTs and, hence, the conductivity will be changed [38

• ][39][40][41][42][43][44]. There are studies dedicated to the dielectric spectroscopy (DS) of ILCs doped with CNT [45]. In the present work we studied the effect of added CNTs on the dielectric properties of a new ILC based on a bisimidazolium salt with a dodecyl sulfate ion. The dielectric spectra of

Magnetic field induced orientational transitions in liquid crystals doped with carbon nanotubes

• Danil A. Petrov,
• Pavel K. Skokov and
• Alexander N. Zakhlevnykh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2807–2817, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.280

• ferronematics have been published [4][5], which indicates the interest in this kind of composite materials. Along with ferri- or ferromagnetic particles it is also possible to use carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in order to increase the magneto-orientational response of the LC matrix [6][7]. Due to the highly elongated

• shape (aspect ratios of 102 to 103) and anomalously high anisotropy of the diamagnetic susceptibility ( ≈ 10−5 to 10−4) [8][9][10][11], CNTs are very attractive for the creation of nanocomposites based on LCs with high magneto-orientational response. From experimental data [12][13][14][15][16], it is

• known that in the absence of external fields CNTs are oriented parallel to the director of the LC matrix, which corresponds to the planar type of coupling. However, homeotropic coupling is also possible [17]. Thus, for suspensions of CNTs based on LC with positive diamagnetic susceptibility anisotropies

Dry adhesives from carbon nanofibers grown in an open ethanol flame

• Christian Lutz,
• Julia Syurik,
• C. N. Shyam Kumar,
• Christian Kübel,
• Michael Bruns and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2719–2728, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.271

• force microscopy; carbon nanofibers; Introduction One-dimensional carbon nanostructures (1D-CNs), such as carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) consisting of cylindrical graphitic sheets, are very promising materials for nanotechnology [1]. They are well known for their outstanding

• open flame, which serves as the carbon source and provides the necessary temperature. Li and Hsieh demonstrated the growth of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MW-CNTs) from the flame of a paraffin wax candle [7] and a Bunsen burner [8]. Pan and co-workers grew CNTs and CNFs with an ethanol flame [5] and

• GPa [30]. CNTs act similarly to the hairs of a Gecko, due to their diameters in the nanometer-range, they can bend quite easily when getting in contact with a rough surface. This effect enables effective contact splitting [31], which leads to an increased contact area, resulting in a high adhesion

One-step chemical vapor deposition synthesis and supercapacitor performance of nitrogen-doped porous carbon–carbon nanotube hybrids

• Egor V. Lobiak,
• Lyubov G. Bulusheva,
• Ekaterina O. Fedorovskaya,
• Yury V. Shubin,
• Pavel E. Plyusnin,
• Pierre Lonchambon,
• Boris V. Senkovskiy,
• Zinfer R. Ismagilov,
• Emmanuel Flahaut and
• Alexander V. Okotrub

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2669–2679, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.267

• (CNTs) or fibers in an electrode material [4][5]. A typical synthesis procedure for carbon–carbon hybrid materials includes the mechanical mixing of the components, previously synthesized separately by different methods (ex situ synthesis). The mixing is usually carried out in a solvent, but since

• works devoted to one-step formation of porous carbon–CNT hybrids for energy storage applications. Lei et al. have reported the CCVD synthesis of nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon and multiwalled CNTs (MWCNTs) with the use of a silica SBA-15 template impregnated by iron nitrate [14

• , and nanostructured CaCO3 as a template [16]. The electrodes from the synthesis products exhibited a good reversible capacity and long-term cycling stability. The role of CNTs in such hybrids was to enhance the electrical conductivity and to act as a physical barrier, blocking large pores in the second

Localized growth of carbon nanotubes via lithographic fabrication of metallic deposits

• Fan Tu,
• Martin Drost,
• Imre Szenti,
• Janos Kiss,
• Zoltan Kónya and
• Hubertus Marbach

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2592–2605, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.260

• Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary, MTA-SZTE Reaction Kinetics and Surface Chemistry Research Group, University of Szeged, Rerrich ter 1, 6720 Szeged, Hungary 10.3762/bjnano.8.260 Abstract We report on the fabrication of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at predefined positions and controlled

• morphology, for example, as individual nanotubes or as CNT forests. Electron beam induced deposition (EBID) with subsequent autocatalytic growth (AG) was applied to lithographically produce catalytically active seeds for the localized growth of CNTs via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). With the precursor Fe

• (CO)5 we were able to fabricate clean iron deposits via EBID and AG. After the proof-of-principle that these Fe deposits indeed act as seeds for the growth of CNTs, the influence of significant EBID/AG parameters on the deposit shape and finally the yield and morphology of the grown CNTs was

Preparation and characterization of polycarbonate/multiwalled carbon nanotube nanocomposites

• Claudio Larosa,
• Niranjan Patra,
• Marco Salerno,
• Lara Mikac,
• Remo Merijs Meri and
• Mile Ivanda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2026–2031, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.203

• common issue in obtaining good quality nanocomposites, especially in the case of high aspect ratio fillers such as CNTs. The efficiency in minimizing the amount of entangled bundles of MWCNTs and ensuring proper dispersion of them in the polymer matrices influences nearly all relevant properties of the

A systematic study of the controlled generation of crystalline iron oxide nanoparticles on graphene using a chemical etching process

• Peter Krauß,
• Jörg Engstler and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2017–2025, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.202

• -prepared iron oxide nanoparticles on graphene composite material for direct synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under CVD conditions. The graphene was transferred onto a SiO2/Si wafer after CVD synthesis on a copper substrate (Figure 6). The copper substrate was etched with a solution of 1 M iron(III

• ) chloride in 10% hydrochloric acid. The ratio of copper to etchant was increased as described previously in order to obtain a higher number of iron oxide nanoparticles which serve as a catalyst for CNT growth. The water-assisted CVD growth of CNTs was then performed at 875 °C in an argon/hydrogen atmosphere

• [45][46][47]. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirms the growth of CNTs on metal oxide decorated graphene samples. The CNTs have an outer diameter of about 10–20 nm (Figure 7a). In selected regions of the graphene substrate, growth of vertically aligned CNTs (VACNTs) was observed

Enhancement of mechanical and electrical properties of continuous-fiber-reinforced epoxy composites with stacked graphene

• Naum Naveh,
• Olga Shepelev and
• Samuel Kenig

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1909–1918, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.191

• -mechanical behavior. Keywords: composite; exfoliation; graphene; surface-active agents (SAAs); thermo-mechanical properties; Introduction Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been suggested as an efficient conductive filler because of the outstanding electrical properties and the high aspect ratio. CNT-modified

• carbon epoxy composites have been studied, where the CNTs are either dispersed in the matrix and/or grafted on the carbon fibers [1][2]. However, the cost of CNTs limits intensive industrial applications. Other treatments have been attempted, among these, oxidation of the carbon fibers, plasma treatment