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Evaluation of the Sorbent Properties of Single‐ and Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes for Volatile Organic Compounds through Thermal Desorption–Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry
Author(s) -
Wong Gwendeline K. S.,
Lim Li Zhen,
Lim Marcus Jun Wen,
Ong Li Lin,
Khezri Bahareh,
Pumera Martin,
Webster Richard D.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
chempluschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.801
H-Index - 61
ISSN - 2192-6506
DOI - 10.1002/cplu.201500070
Subject(s) - sorbent , chemistry , tenax , carbon nanotube , thermal desorption , adsorption , mass spectrometry , desorption , gas chromatography , carbon fibers , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , environmental chemistry , chromatography , materials science , composite number , engineering , composite material
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess well‐defined structural and chemical characteristics coupled with a large surface area that makes them ideal as sorbent materials for applications where adsorption processes are required. The adsorption properties of carboxylated derivatives of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (COOH‐MWCNT) and singlewalled carbon nanotubes (COOH‐SWCNT), together with their nonfunctionalized counterparts (MWCNT and SWCNT) for 48 common atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were determined using thermal desorption–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD‐GCMS). The CNTs exhibited similar recoveries for many of the VOCs compared to the standard sorbent materials, Carbopack X and Tenax TA. However, VOCs with electron donor–acceptor (EDA) properties such as carbonyls, alkenes, and alcohols exhibited poorer recoveries on all CNTs compared to Carbopack X and Tenax TA. The poor recoveries of VOCs from the CNTs has important implications for the long term use and storage of CNTs, because it demonstrates that they will become progressively more contaminated with common atmospheric VOCs, therefore potentially affecting their surface‐based properties.