| Shrnutí: | <p>The sub-class of carbonaceous nanomaterials, borocarbonitride nanotubes, have previously demonstrated encouraging performance with regard to a range of applications which include energy storage, electrocatalysis and environmental remediation. The promise they possess makes them suitable candidates for the development of, novel, next-generation hierarchical nanomaterials. Despite this, the field surrounding them has lacked substantial investigation into their further processing. This thesis looks to address some of the current shortcomings within the field and investigates processing techniques for the functionalisation and macroscopic arrangement of borocarbonitride nanotubes.</p>
<p>A two-step, aerosol assisted, synthesis route was developed for the production of borocarbonitride nanotubes. The effect of reaction temperature, heating rate and precursor crystallinity on the boron content of the nanotubes was investigated. The successful synthesis of borocarbonitride nanotubes and their properties, in comparison to the precursor nanotubes, were confirmed using a number of characterisation techniques which included x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The importance of nitrogen doped sites, in the precursor material, to the success of the co-doping procedure was established experimentally and through computational modelling. This initial work thus allowed the exploration and development of further processing techniques by producing the borocarbonitride nanotubes on a suitable scale.</p>
<p>Borocarbonitride and nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes were functionalised with iron oxide nanoparticles. This was achieved using ex situ methodologies that exploited non-covalent interactions. The nanoparticle loading onto the nanotube was varied through alteration of the solvent medium, allowing for tuneable nanohybrid composition. The effect of solvent on the nanoparticle loading was rationalised by comparing the results here with dielectric and surface energy-based models from the literature, that had not yet been corroborated for doped nanotubes. Both electrophoretic deposition and vacuum filtration techniques were then explored for the production of macroscopic borocarbonitride nanotube assemblies, with the latter being deemed more suitable. This method was then extended to the production of freestanding films from the borocarbonitride nanotube – iron nanoparticle hybrids.</p>
<p>The work that is detailed in this thesis presents advancements in the processing of borocarbonitride nanotubes, offering routes for converting them into hierarchical nanohybrids and assembling them into freestanding macroscopic arrangements.</p>
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