Effect of a Metallocene Catalyst Mixture on CNT Yield Using the FC-CVD Process
This work studies synthesis of carbon nanotube (CNT) sheet using the high temperature (1400 °C) floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FC-CVD) method. Three metallocenes—ferrocene, nickelocene, cobaltocene—and their combinations are used as precursors for metal catalysts in the synthesis proce...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Catalysts |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/12/3/287 |
| _version_ | 1797472444852731904 |
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| author | Devika Chauhan Anuptha Pujari Guangqi Zhang Kinshuk Dasgupta Vesselin N. Shanov Mark J. Schulz |
| author_facet | Devika Chauhan Anuptha Pujari Guangqi Zhang Kinshuk Dasgupta Vesselin N. Shanov Mark J. Schulz |
| author_sort | Devika Chauhan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This work studies synthesis of carbon nanotube (CNT) sheet using the high temperature (1400 °C) floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FC-CVD) method. Three metallocenes—ferrocene, nickelocene, cobaltocene—and their combinations are used as precursors for metal catalysts in the synthesis process. For the carbon source, an alcohol fuel, a combination of methanol and n-hexane (9:1), is used. First, the metallocenes were dissolved in the alcohol fuel. Then, the fuel mixture was injected into a tube furnace using an ultrasonic atomizer with Ar/H<sub>2</sub> carrier gas in a ratio of about 12/1. The synthesis of CNTs from a combination of two or three metallocenes reduces the percentage of metal catalyst impurity in the CNT sheet. However, there is an increase in structural defects in the CNTs when using mixtures of two or three metallocenes as catalysts. Furthermore, the specific electrical conductivity of the CNT sheet was highest when using a mixture of ferrocene and cobaltocene as the catalyst. Overall, the multi-catalyst method described enables tailoring certain properties of the CNT sheet. However, the standard ferrocene catalyst seems most appropriate for large-scale manufacturing at the lowest cost. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:01:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-558219eb82f0458f8a90479152d2dd58 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4344 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:01:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Catalysts |
| spelling | doaj.art-558219eb82f0458f8a90479152d2dd582023-11-24T00:42:22ZengMDPI AGCatalysts2073-43442022-03-0112328710.3390/catal12030287Effect of a Metallocene Catalyst Mixture on CNT Yield Using the FC-CVD ProcessDevika Chauhan0Anuptha Pujari1Guangqi Zhang2Kinshuk Dasgupta3Vesselin N. Shanov4Mark J. Schulz5Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USADepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USADepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USAMaterials Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, IndiaDepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USADepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USAThis work studies synthesis of carbon nanotube (CNT) sheet using the high temperature (1400 °C) floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FC-CVD) method. Three metallocenes—ferrocene, nickelocene, cobaltocene—and their combinations are used as precursors for metal catalysts in the synthesis process. For the carbon source, an alcohol fuel, a combination of methanol and n-hexane (9:1), is used. First, the metallocenes were dissolved in the alcohol fuel. Then, the fuel mixture was injected into a tube furnace using an ultrasonic atomizer with Ar/H<sub>2</sub> carrier gas in a ratio of about 12/1. The synthesis of CNTs from a combination of two or three metallocenes reduces the percentage of metal catalyst impurity in the CNT sheet. However, there is an increase in structural defects in the CNTs when using mixtures of two or three metallocenes as catalysts. Furthermore, the specific electrical conductivity of the CNT sheet was highest when using a mixture of ferrocene and cobaltocene as the catalyst. Overall, the multi-catalyst method described enables tailoring certain properties of the CNT sheet. However, the standard ferrocene catalyst seems most appropriate for large-scale manufacturing at the lowest cost.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/12/3/287FC-CVDfloating catalyst chemical vapor depositioncarbon nanotubesaerogeldirect spinningyield |
| spellingShingle | Devika Chauhan Anuptha Pujari Guangqi Zhang Kinshuk Dasgupta Vesselin N. Shanov Mark J. Schulz Effect of a Metallocene Catalyst Mixture on CNT Yield Using the FC-CVD Process Catalysts FC-CVD floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition carbon nanotubes aerogel direct spinning yield |
| title | Effect of a Metallocene Catalyst Mixture on CNT Yield Using the FC-CVD Process |
| title_full | Effect of a Metallocene Catalyst Mixture on CNT Yield Using the FC-CVD Process |
| title_fullStr | Effect of a Metallocene Catalyst Mixture on CNT Yield Using the FC-CVD Process |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of a Metallocene Catalyst Mixture on CNT Yield Using the FC-CVD Process |
| title_short | Effect of a Metallocene Catalyst Mixture on CNT Yield Using the FC-CVD Process |
| title_sort | effect of a metallocene catalyst mixture on cnt yield using the fc cvd process |
| topic | FC-CVD floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition carbon nanotubes aerogel direct spinning yield |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/12/3/287 |
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