Search

We show a novel chemical vapour deposition (CVD) approach, in which the large-scale fabrication of ferromagnetically-filled cm-scale buckypapers is achieved through the deposition of a mesoporous supported catalyst (SBA-16) on a silicon substrate. We demonstrate that SBA-16 has the crucial role of promoting the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on a horizontal plane with random orientation rather than in a vertical direction, therefore allowing a facile fabrication of cm-scale CNTs buckypapers free from the onion-crust by-product observed on the buckypaper-surface in previous reports. The morphology and composition of the obtained CNTs-buckypapers are analyzed in detail by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM (HRTEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), while structural analysis is performed by Rietveld Refinement of XRD data. The room temperature magnetic properties of the produced buckypapers are also investigated and reveal the presence of a high coercivity of 650 Oe. Additionally, the electrochemical performances of these buckypapers are demonstrated and reveal a behavior that is compatible with that of a pseudo-capacitor (resistive-capacitor) with better performances than those presented in other previously studied layered-buckypapers of Fe-filled CNTs, obtained by pyrolysis of dichlorobenzene-ferrocene mixtures. These measurements indicate that these materials show promise for applications in energy storage systems as flexible electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper-based nanoparticles, supported on either a silica aerogel or cubic mesostructured silicas obtained by using two different synthetic protocols, were used as catalysts for the water gas shift reaction. The obtained nanocomposites were thoroughly characterised before and after catalysis through nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements at −196 °C, TEM, and wide- and low-angle XRD. The samples before catalysis contained nanoparticles of copper oxides (either CuO or Cu2O), whereas the formation of metallic copper nanoparticles, constituting the active catalytic phase, was observed either by using pre-treatment in a reducing atmosphere or directly during the catalytic reaction owing to the presence of carbon monoxide. A key role in determining the catalytic performances of the samples is played by the ability of different matrices to promote a high dispersion of copper metal nanoparticles. The best catalytic performances are obtained with the aerogel sample, which also exhibits constant carbon monoxide conversion values at constant temperature and reproducible behaviour after subsequent catalytic runs. On the other hand, in the catalysts based on cubic mesostructured silica, the detrimental effects related to sintering of copper nanoparticles are avoided only on the silica support, which is able to produce a reasonable dispersion of the copper nanophase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] SBA-16 based monoliths containing Fe/Co nanophases were prepared by sol–gel. [•] Monoliths are stable upon calcination at 500°C and reduction at 800°C. [•] Superparamagnetic fcc Co–SBA-16 nanocomposites can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mesoporous ordered cubic Im3m silica (SBA-16) characterized by a three dimensional cage-like structure of pores was used as a host matrix for the preparation of a series of FeCo-SiO2 nanocomposites with different alloy loading and composition by the wet impregnation method. The mesoporous structure of the SBA-16-type support, prepared according to a versatile sol-gel templated synthetic method, which makes use of n-butanol as a co-surfactant, is stable during the treatments necessary to obtain the final nanocomposites, as pointed out by low-angle X-Ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and N2 physisorption at 77 K. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction shows that upon reduction at 800 °C, FeCo nanocrystals (6-7 nm) with the typical bcc structure are formed and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis, performed by scanning transmission electron microscopy on one of the samples, shows that the Fe/Co atomic ratio in the alloy nanoparticles is very close to the expected value of two. Electron tomography was used for the first time to gain evidence on the highly interconnected mesoporous structure of SBA-16 and the arrangement of the nanoparticles within the matrix. It was found that spherical alloy nanocrystals with narrow size distribution are homogeneously distributed throughout the mesoporous matrix and that the resulting FeCo-SiO2 nanocomposite material displays superparamagnetic behavior with high strength dipolar interactions, as expected for particles with a large magnetic moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]