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Surface Oxidation of Carbon Nanofibres
Author(s) -
Ros Tijmen G.,
van Dillen Adrianus J.,
Geus John W.,
Koningsberger Diederik C.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/1521-3765(20020301)8:5<1151::aid-chem1151>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - carbon fibers , materials science , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , chemistry , composite material , composite number , engineering
Carbon nanofibres of the fishbone and parallel types were surface‐oxidised by several methods. The untreated and oxidised fibres were studied with infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Oxidation in a mixture of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids proved to be the most effective method for creating oxygen‐containing surface groups. This treatment results not only in the formation of carboxy and carboxyic anhydride groups, but also in the generation of ether‐type oxygen groups between graphitic layers that are puckered at their edges. The IR spectroscopic data clearly show that the formation of oxygen‐containing surface groups occurs at defect sites on the carbon nanofibres and that oxidation proceeds via carbonyl groups and other oxides to carboxy and carboxyic anhydride groups. Owing to the presence of defects, the two types of fibre have similar surface reactivities. With parallel nanofibres, in contrast to fishbone fibres, the macroscopic structure was severely affected by treatment with HNO 3 /H 2 SO 4 . The HNO 3 /H 2 SO 4 ‐treated fibres are highly wettable by water.