Nanotube Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan.
J Am Chem Soc. 2012 Feb 1;134(4):2148-53. doi: 10.1021/ja208706c. Epub 2012 Jan 17.
Here we show that essentially any Fe compounds spanning Fe salts, nanoparticles, and buckyferrocene could serve as catalysts for single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) forest growth when supported on AlO(x) and annealed in hydrogen. This observation was explained by subsurface diffusion of Fe atoms into the AlO(x) support induced by hydrogen annealing where most of the deposited Fe left the surface and the remaining Fe atoms reconfigured into small nanoparticles suitable for SWNT growth. Interestingly, the average diameters of the SWNTs grown from all iron compounds studied were nearly identical (2.8-3.1 nm). We interpret that the offsetting effects of Ostwald ripening and subsurface diffusion resulted in the ability to grow SWNT forests with similar average diameters regardless of the initial Fe catalyst.
在这里,我们表明,当负载在 AlO(x)上并在氢气中退火时,基本上任何跨越铁盐、纳米粒子和富勒烯铁的 Fe 化合物都可以作为单壁碳纳米管 (SWNT) 森林生长的催化剂。这种观察结果可以通过氢气退火诱导的 Fe 原子向 AlO(x) 载体的亚表面扩散来解释,其中大部分沉积的 Fe 离开表面,剩余的 Fe 原子重新配置成适合 SWNT 生长的小纳米粒子。有趣的是,从所有研究的铁化合物生长的 SWNTs 的平均直径几乎相同(2.8-3.1nm)。我们解释说,奥斯特瓦尔德熟化和亚表面扩散的抵消效应导致能够生长具有相似平均直径的 SWNT 森林,而与初始 Fe 催化剂无关。