Black carbon-mediated destruction of nitroglycerin and RDX by hydrogen sulfide

The in situ remediation of sediments contaminated with explosives, including nitroglycerin and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), is desirable, particularly at bombing ranges where unexploded ordnance (UXO) renders excavation dangerous. Sulfides generated by biological sulfate reduction in sediments are potent nucleophiles and reductants that may contribute to the destruction of explosives. However, moderately hydrophobic explosives are likely to sorb to black carbons, which can constitute 10-30% of sediment organic carbon. In this study, we evaluated whether the black carbons accelerate these reactions or simply sequester explosives from aqueous phase reactions. Using environmentally-relevant sulfide and black carbon concentrations, our results indicated that black carbons accelerated the destruction of both compounds, yielding relatively harmless products on the time scale of hours. For both compounds, destruction increased with sulfide and graphite concentrations. Using sheet graphite as a model for graphene regions in black carbons, we evaluated whether graphene regions mediated the reduction of explosives by promoting electron transfer from sulfides. Our results demonstrated that the process was more complex. Using an electrochemical cell that enabled electron transfer from sulfides to explosives through graphite, but prevented nucleophilic substitution reactions, we found that nitroglycerin destruction, but not RDX destruction, could be explained by an electron transfer mechanism. Furthermore, surface area-normalized destruction rates for the same explosive varied for different black carbons. While black carbon-mediated destruction of explosives by sulfides is likely to be a significant contributor to their natural attenuation in sediments, a fundamental characterization of the reaction mechanisms is needed to better understand the process.

Nanoscale advances in catalysis and energy applications

In this perspective, we present an overview of nanoscience applications in catalysis, energy conversion, and energy conservation technologies. We discuss how novel physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials can be applied and engineered to meet the advanced material requirements in the new generation of chemical and energy conversion devices. We highlight some of the latest advances in these nanotechnologies and provide an outlook at the major challenges for further developments.

Multi-Directional Growth of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes Over Catalyst Film Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition

The structure of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) severely depends on the properties of pre-prepared catalyst films. Aiming for the preparation of precisely controlled catalyst film, atomic layer deposition (ALD) was employed to deposit uniform Fe(2)O(3) film for the growth of CNT arrays on planar substrate surfaces as well as the curved ones. Iron acetylacetonate and ozone were introduced into the reactor alternately as precursors to realize the formation of catalyst films. By varying the deposition cycles, uniform and smooth Fe(2)O(3) catalyst films with different thicknesses were obtained on Si/SiO(2) substrate, which supported the growth of highly oriented few-walled CNT arrays. Utilizing the advantage of ALD process in coating non-planar surfaces, uniform catalyst films can also be successfully deposited onto quartz fibers. Aligned few-walled CNTs can be grafted on the quartz fibers, and they self-organized into a leaf-shaped structure due to the curved surface morphology. The growth of aligned CNTs on non-planar surfaces holds promise in constructing hierarchical CNT architectures in future.

ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11671-010-9676-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Influence of electrolyte composition on the photovoltaic performance and stability of dye-sensitized solar cells with multiwalled carbon nanotube catalysts

Efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) were realized by using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the counter-electrode catalyst. The catalytic layers were produced from an aqueous paste of mass-produced raw CNTs with carboxymethylcellulose polymer by low-temperature (70 degrees C) drying. We found that the highly disordered CNTs played the important role of increasing the fill factor of DSCs with electrolytes including large molecules and that the presence of Li(+) as the counter charges for I(3)(-)/I(-) redox couples reduced the chemical stability when using the CNT catalyst. Our experiments showed that by replacing the conventional Pt catalyst and Li(+)-based electrolyte with the proposed CNT catalyst and an electrolyte containing 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium cations instead of Li(+), the energy conversion efficiency increased from 6.51% to 7.13%. This result suggests that highly defective CNT catalysts prepared by low-temperature drying are viable cost-effective alternatives for DSCs, as long as the electrolytes composition is optimized.

Graphitically encapsulated cobalt nanocrystal assemblies

Graphitically encapsulated cobalt nanocrystal assemblies are chemically prepared by one-pot reaction at >380 degrees C followed by a reversed etching process to produce porous graphitic structure for revealing their self-assembling nature.

Advanced materials from natural materials: synthesis of aligned carbon nanotubes on wollastonites

The growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on natural materials is a low-cost, environmentally benign, and materials-saving method for the large-scale production of CNTs. Directly building 3D CNT architectures on natural materials is a key issue for obtaining advanced materials with high added value. We report the fabrication of aligned CNT arrays on fibrous natural wollastonite. Strongly dispersed iron particles with small sizes were produced on a planar surface of soaked fibrous wollastonite by a reduction process. These particles then catalyzed the decomposition of ethylene, leading to the synchronous growth of CNTs to form leaf- and brush-like wollastonite/CNT hybrids. The as-obtained hybrids could be further transformed into porous SiO(2)/CNT hybrids by reaction with hydrochloric acid. Further treatment with hydrofluoric acid resulted in aligned CNT arrays, with purities as high as 98.7 %. The presented work is very promising for the fabrication of advanced materials with unique structures and properties that can be used as fillers, catalyst supports, or energy-absorbing materials.

Metal-free heterogeneous catalysis for sustainable chemistry

The current established catalytic processes used in chemical industries use metals, in many cases precious metals, or metal oxides as catalysts. These are often energy-consuming and not highly selective, wasting resources and producing greenhouse gases. Metal-free heterogeneous catalysis using carbon or carbon nitride is an interesting alternative to some current industrialized chemical processes. Carbon and carbon nitride combine environmental acceptability with inexhaustible resources and allow a favorable management of energy with good thermal conductivity. Owing to lower reaction temperatures and increased selectivity, these catalysts could be candidates for green chemistry with low emission and an efficient use of the chemical feedstock. This Review highlights some recent promising activities and developments in heterogeneous catalysis using only carbon and carbon nitride as catalysts. The state-of-the-art and future challenges of metal-free heterogeneous catalysis are also discussed.

Oxidative purification of carbon nanotubes and its impact on catalytic performance in oxidative dehydrogenation reactions

Oxidative purification with mild diluted HNO3 followed by NaOH washing lowers the amount of amorphous carbon attached to multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The graphitic structure improves remarkably by further annealing in argon at elevated temperatures, that is, 1173, 1573, and 1973 K. The influence of the purification treatment on the catalytic activity of the CNTs is investigated for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethylbenzene and propane as probe reactions. All samples tend to approach an appropriately ordered structure and Raman analysis of the used samples displays a D/G band ratio of 0.95-1.42. Oxygen functionalities are partly removed by the annealing treatment and can be rebuilt to some extent by oxygen molecules in the ODH reactant flow. The presence of amorphous carbon is detrimental to the catalytic performance as it allows for unwanted functional groups occurring in parallel with the formation of the selective (di)ketonic active sites.

Nanostructured carbon and carbon nanocomposites for electrochemical energy storage applications

Electrochemical energy storage is one of the important technologies for a sustainable future of our society, in times of energy crisis. Lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors with their high energy or power densities, portability, and promising cycling life are the cores of future technologies. This Review describes some materials science aspects on nanocarbon-based materials for these applications. Nanostructuring (decreasing dimensions) and nanoarchitecturing (combining or assembling several nanometer-scale building blocks) are landmarks in the development of high-performance electrodes for with long cycle lifes and high safety. Numerous works reviewed herein have shown higher performances for such electrodes, but mostly give diverse values that show no converging tendency towards future development. The lack of knowledge about interface processes and defect dynamics of electrodes, as well as the missing cooperation between material scientists, electrochemists, and battery engineers, are reasons for the currently widespread trial-and-error strategy of experiments. A concerted action between all of these disciplines is a prerequisite for the future development of electrochemical energy storage devices.

Understanding the SERS Effects of Single Silver Nanoparticles and Their Dimers, One at a Time

This perspective article highlights recent developments in a class of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) experiments that aim to correlate SERS enhancement factors with the physical parameters of metal nanostructures. In a typical study, the SERS substrate is fabricated by depositing colloidal nanoparticles on a silicon wafer to obtain individual particles isolated from each other, or small aggregates such as dimeric units. With the help of registration marks, the same nanoparticle, or dimer of nanoparticles, can be quickly located under a Raman microscope (for SERS spectra) and a scanning electron microscope (for structural characterization). The nanoscale characterization achieved by these studies has resulted in unparalleled investigations into the nature of polarization dependency for SERS, the hot spot nature of single nanoparticles and dimers, and the manipulation of hot spots through shape-controlled synthesis and self-assembly. We discuss the new insights these studies have offered, and the future progress they can deliver to the advancement of SERS.

Granulated Carbon Nanotubes as the Catalyst Support for Pt for the Hydrogenation of Nitrobenzene

Granulated Pt/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were found to have a much better catalytic activity in the liquid phase hydrogenation of nitrobenzene than Pt/activated carbon (AC). The granulated CNTs had much larger pores than the AC particles, which gave a faster mass transfer rate of H2 that helped produce aniline with high selectivity.

Single-molecule electrocatalysis by single-walled carbon nanotubes

We report a single-molecule fluorescence study of electrocatalysis by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) at single-reaction resolution. Applying super-resolution optical imaging, we find that the electrocatalysis occurs at discrete, nanometer-dimension sites on SWNTs. Single-molecule kinetic analysis leads to an electrocatalytic mechanism, allowing quantification of the reactivity and heterogeneity of individual reactive sites. Combined with conductivity measurements, this approach will be powerful to interrogate how the electronic structure of SWNTs affects the electrocatalytic interfacial charge transfer, a process fundamental to photoelectrochemical cells.

Selective deposition of metal nanoparticles inside or outside multiwalled carbon nanotubes

A general method is described for the deposition of metal nanoparticles selectively either inside or outside of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The method is based on the difference in the interface energies of organic and aqueous solutions with the CNT surface. Because of their lipophilic character, the organic solvent better wets the surface of the nanotubes compared to water and penetrates into the inner volume. The precise control of the volume of each phase allows filling the CNT with the organic phase and covering its outer surface with the aqueous one. Hence, metal nanoparticles can be put with high selectivity either inside or outside the CNT, just by choosing in which solvent the metal precursor is dissolved. SEM, TEM, and 3D-TEM investigations show that a selectivity in localization close to 75% can be reached by this technique. The nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed and present a narrow size distribution, centered on 5 nm. In this way, one can decorate either the inner or the outer surface of open CNTs, without the need of discriminating the diameter of the opening and without any further step of functionalization than a treatment with nitric acid.

Fabrication and characterization of DNA arrays prepared on carbon-on-metal substrates

Carbon-on-metal substrates consist of a surface plasmon-conducting metal substrate with a thin amorphous carbon overlayer. Recently, oligonucleotide arrays were in situ synthesized on carbon-on-gold substrates, and DNA hybridization experiments were monitored with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging. We describe here the thorough characterization of these substrates and arrays as they progress through the fabrication process. Two surface plasmon-conducting metals, gold and silver, were utilized in the carbon-on-metal substrate preparation and their SPR responses compared. Oligonucleotide arrays synthesized on the carbon-on-metal substrates were analyzed with fluorescence- and SPR-based measurements. The stability of the carbon-on-metal substrates when exposed to prolonged incubations and/or serial hybridizations was also determined.

Synthesis, electronic structure, and Raman scattering of phosphorus-doped single-wall carbon nanotubes

Substitutional phosphorus doping in single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is investigated by density functional theory and resonance Raman spectroscopy. Electronic structure calculations predict charge localization on the phosphorus atom, generating nondispersive valence and conduction bands close to the Fermi level. Besides confirming sustitutional doping, accurate analysis of electron and phonon renormalization effects in the double-resonance Raman process elucidates the different nature of the phosphorus donor doping (localized) when compared to nitrogen substitutional doping (nonlocalized) in SWNTs.