Precise Control of Carbon Nanotube Membrane Structure for Enzyme Mimetic Catalysis

OF THESIS PRECISE CONTROL OF CARBON NANOTUBE MEMBRANE STRUCTURE FOR ENZYME MIMETIC CATALYSIS The ability to fabricate a charge-driven water pump is a crucial step toward mimicking the catalytic ability of natural enzyme systems. The first step towards making this water pump a reality is the ability to make a carbon nanotube (CNT) membrane with uniform, 0.8 nm pore diameter. Proposed in this work is a method for synthesizing these carbon nanotubes via VPI-5 zeolite templated, transition metal catalyzed pyrolysis. Using a membrane composed of these CNTs, it is possible to get water molecules to flow single file at a high flow rate, and to orient them in such a way that would maximize their ability to be catalyzed. Additionally, using the ability to plate a monolayer of precious metal catalyst molecules around the exit to the membrane, catalyst efficiency can be maximized by making every catalyst atom come into contact with a substrate molecule. In this work, we also demonstrate the ability to plate a monolayer of precious metal catalyst atoms onto an insulating, mesoporous, support material. By combining these two chemical processes, it is possible to mimic the catalytic efficiency of natural enzyme systems.