Comparative study of the stability of sulfide materials encapsulated in and expelled from multi-walled carbon nanotube capsules

A high density of electrical current has been used to induce the abrupt release of a sulfide compound from the interior of electron-beam-welded turbostratic carbon nanotubes. This event did not alter the chemical identity of either the expelled or the encapsulated material. However, upon 30 days of air exposure notable differences in reactivity were observed. It was found that the expelled chalcogenide particles are chemically more unstable than the material protected by the carbon shell.