NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Purification Procedures for Single-Wall Carbon NanotubesThis report summarizes the comparison of a variety of procedures used to purify carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotube material is produced by the arc process and laser oven process. Most of the procedures are tested using laser-grown, single-wall nanotube (SWNT) material. The material is characterized at each step of the purification procedures by using different techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The identified impurities are amorphous and graphitic carbon, catalyst particle aggregates, fullerenes, and hydrocarbons. Solvent extraction and low-temperature annealing are used to reduce the amount of volatile hydrocarbons and dissolve fullerenes. Metal catalysts and amorphous as well as graphitic carbon are oxidized by reflux in acids including HCl, HNO3 and HF and other oxidizers such as H2O2. High-temperature annealing in vacuum and in inert atmosphere helps to improve the quality of SWNTs by increasing crystallinity and reducing intercalation.
Document ID
20040200957
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Gorelik, Olga P.
(GB Technology, Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
Nikolaev, Pavel
(GB Technology, Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
Arepalli, Sivaram
(GB Technology, Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
May 1, 2001
Subject Category
Inorganic, Organic And Physical Chemistry
Report/Patent Number
NASA/CR-2000-208926
S-874
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS9-19100
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
No Preview Available