Barium-Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Yarns As Low-Work-Function Thermionic Cathodes

Barium-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube yarns were fabricated by drawing and twisting multiwalled carbon nanotube forests through a solution containing barium nitrate. After heat activation under vacuum, the functionalized yarns were enriched in barium oxide due to the high surface-to-volume ratio of the nanotubes. The cathodes exhibited good thermionic properties, with a work function as low as 1.73-2.06 eV and thermionic current density that exceeded 185 mA/cm(2) in a field of 850 V/5 mm at 1317 K. The barium-functionalized yarns had high tensile strength of up to 420 MPa and retained strength of similar to 250 MPa after a 2 h activation process. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Synthesis of AgCl/PAN composite nanofibres using an electrospinning method

A new route based on electrospinning is designed for the preparation of silver chloride/polyacrylonitrile (AgCl/PAN) composite nanofibres. The AgCl nanoparticles uniform in size, were dispersed on the surfaces of the composite nanofibres. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images gave direct evidence of the structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the presence of AgCl crystals.

Monitoring A Micromechanical Process In Macroscale Carbon Nanotube Films And Fibers

The evaluation of mechanical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers is inherently difficult. Here, Raman scattering-a generic methodology independent of mechanical measurements-is used to determine the interbundle strength and microscopic failure process for various CNT macroarchitectures. Raman data are used to predict the moduli of CNT films and fibers, and to illustrate the influences of the twisting geometries on the fibers' mechanical performances.

High-Strength Composite Fibers: Realizing True Potential of Carbon Nanotubes in Polymer Matrix through Continuous Reticulate Architecture and Molecular Level Couplings

Carbon nanotubes have unprecedented mechanical properties as defect-free nanoscale building blocks, but their potential has not been fully realized in composite materials due to weakness at the interfaces. Here we demonstrate that through load-transfer-favored three-dimensional architecture and molecular level couplings with polymer chains, true potential of CNTs can be realized in composites as Initially envisioned. Composite fibers with reticulate nanotube architectures show order of magnitude improvement in strength compared to randomly dispersed short CNT reinforced composites reported before. The molecular level couplings between nanotubes and polymer chains results in drastic differences in the properties of thermoset and thermoplastic composite fibers, which indicate that conventional macroscopic composite theory falls to explain the overall hybrid behavior at nanoscale.

Porous ZnAl2O4 spinel nanorods doped with Eu3+: synthesis and photoluminescence

Eu3+-doped zinc aluminate (ZnAl2O4) nanorods with a spinel structure were successfully synthesized via an annealing transformation of layered precursors obtained by a homogeneous coprecipitation method combined with surfactant assembly. These spinel nanorods, which consist of much finer nanofibres together with large quantities of irregular mesopores and which possess a large surface area of 93.2 m(2) g(-1) and a relatively narrow pore size distribution in the range of 6 - 20 nm, are an ideal optical host for Eu3+ luminescent centres. In this nanostructure, rather disordered surroundings induce the typical electric-dipole emission (D-5(0) --> F-7(2)) of Eu3+ to predominate and broaden.

Morphology observation of carbon deposition by CH4 decomposition over Ni-based catalysts

We found a novel morphology variation of carbon deposition derived from CH4 decomposition over NI-based catalysts. By altering the chemical composition and particle size of Ni-based catalysts, carbon filaments, nanofibres and nanotubes were observed over conventional Ni/y-Al2O3, Ni-Co/gamma-Al2O3 and nanoscale Ni-Co/gamma-Al2O3 catalysts, respectively. The simple introduction of Co into a conventional Ni/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst can vary the carbon deposition from amorphous filamentous carbon to ordered carbon fibres. Moreover, carbon nanotubes with uniform diameter distribution can be obtained over nanosized Ni-Co/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst particles. In addition, the oxidation behaviour of the different deposited carbon was studied by using a temperature-programmed oxidation technique. This work provides a simple strategy to control over the size and morphology of the carbon deposition from catalytic decomposition of CH4.

Possibility of design of nanodevices by confined macromolecular self-assembly

Computer simulation has revealed that dual nanostructures for the development of nanodevices as nanowires, optical nanofibres and nanobatteries be obtained by the self-assembly of block copolymers confined geometry. The formation of individual nanostructures depends on the structures of block copolymers the confinement geometry and the interactions block copolymers and the boundary of the confinement geometry. In order to obtain individual nanostructures experimentally, attention needs to be paid to the manufacture of the confinement geometry and the design of the interactions between block copolymers and the boundary of the confinement geometry, The recently developed lithography technique should make experiments successful.