Title :
Anhydrous Oxidation of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes in Argon-Water Direct Current Glow Discharges
Author :
Vandsburger, Leron ; Meunier, Jean-Luc ; Coulombe, Stephane
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Chem. Eng., McGill Univ., Montréal, QC, Canada
Abstract :
A multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) covered stainless steel mesh was used as the cathode of a low-pressure dc glow discharge sustained in a 1:1 mixture of Ar:H2O at 3 torr. The negative glow produced a visible reddish emission. Optical emission spectroscopy of this region revealed a strong emission from the Hα line (656.28 nm) that was not observed in bare stainless steel mesh control tests. The finding strongly indicated anhydrous oxidation of MWNTs, by O radicals. An image taken of the cathode in operation is presented, along with a diagram of the electrode setup showing how the image was taken and an illustration of the structures in the negative glow.
Keywords :
argon; carbon nanotubes; free radicals; glow discharges; oxidation; plasma diagnostics; water; Ar-H2O; C; H-alpha line; MWNT anhydrous oxidation; O radicals; argon-water direct current glow discharges; low-pressure dc glow discharge; multiwalled carbon nanotube; optical emission spectroscopy; stainless steel mesh; stainless steel mesh control tests; visible reddish emission; Carbon nanotubes; Electrodes; Glow discharges; Oxidation; Plasmas; Steel; Stimulated emission; Carbon nanotubes; heterogeneous plasmas; oxygen functionalization; plasma chemistry; spectroscopy; spectroscopy.;
Journal_Title :
Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TPS.2014.2320674
