Open AccessSimple Wet Chemical Route for Decoration of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes with Nickel Nanoparticles
Author(s) -
Sabita Shrestha,
Jay Prashad Bhatta
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of institute of science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2467-9240
pISSN - 2467-9062
DOI - 10.3126/jist.v25i2.33746
Subject(s) - thermogravimetric analysis , carbon nanotube , materials science , nickel , nanoparticle , chemical engineering , thermal decomposition , carbon fibers , metal , inorganic chemistry , nanotechnology , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , metallurgy , composite number , engineering
Due to high specific area and chemical stability, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered to be an excellent support for metal nanoparticles. Carbon nanotube supported metal nanoparticles have applications in different fields. There are different techniques to attached metal nanoparticles on the surface of CNTs. This paper reports a simple wet chemical route to decorate the surface of oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) with nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs). The NiNPs decorated MWCNTs have different applications in different fields such as sensors, photocatalytic activity, hydrogen gas production, catalyst, to produce metallic nanowire etc. MWCNT was treated with nitric acid for purification and oxidation. Purification removes the impurities found in MWCNT and oxidation adds different oxygen functional groups. Raman spectroscopy shows the oxidation and attachment of nickel nanoparticles with the help of intensity, position and area ratio of D and G band. The introduction of an oxygen functional group on the surface of MWCNT after oxidation was studied by Infrared spectroscopy. Thermal analysis (thermogravimetric analysis; TGA and differential thermal analysis; DTA) revealed different thermal behavior of pristine, oxidized, and Ni decorated MWCNTs. TGA showed that the decomposition temperature decreased after oxidation and decoration with NiNPs. TGA also confirmed the purification of MWCNTs as well as the presence of nickel with the MWCNTs. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) also confirmed the presence of nickel in the sample.