The synthesis and properties of an oxygen reduction catalyst based on a unique 3-dimensional (3D) nitrogen doped (N-doped) carbon composite are described. The composite material is synthesised via a two-step hydrothermal and pyrolysis method using bio-source low-cost materials of galactose and melamine. Firstly, the use of iron salts and galactose to hydrothermally produceiron oxide (Fe₂O₃) mag...

A simple and versatile approach has been developed to synthesize multi-walled carbon nanotubes/metal-doped ZnO nanohybrid materials (MWNT/M-doped ZnO) by means of the co-deposition method. The experimental results illuminate that MWNTs can be modified by metal-doped ZnO nanoparticles at 450 °C, such as Mn, Mg, and Co elements. Furthermore, the MWNT/Mg-doped ZnO hybrids have been proven to have ...

Studying carbon, with its many allotropes and compounds, is one of the most fascinating problems in science. To mention only physics, before graphene, which was awarded the Nobel prize in 2010 opening exciting perspectives for fundamental and applied research, many other systems, such as nanotubes, fullerenes and intercalated graphites have played an important role in several fields, including ...

TiO₂ photocatalysis is considered as an alternative to conventional disinfection processes for the inactivation of waterborne microorganisms. The efficiency of photocatalysis is limited by charge carrier recombination rates. When the photocatalyst is immobilized on an electrically conducting support, one may assist charge separation by the application of an external electrical bias. The aim of ...

A facile and environmentally friendly method was developed for the fabrication of N-doped carbon nanomaterials by hydrothermal treatment using polyurethane (PU) sponge as a carbon source. We have demonstrated that the hydrothermal decomposition of PU sponge involves top-down hydrolysis and bottom-up polymerization processes for the synthesis of N-doped carbon dots (N-CDs). Fluorescence spectros...

Nanostructured hematite thin films are doped with zirconium successfully and also modified by introducing CNT using sol-gel method for their implementation as photo-electrode in photo-electrochemical (PEC) cell for hydrogen generation. XRD, UV-visible spectroscopy and PEC study techniques are used to characterize the thin films. The PEC responses of thin films are improved by introducing carbon...

Thermoelectrics is a challenging issue for modern and future energy conversion and recovery technology. Carbon nanotubes are promising active thermoelectic materials owing to their narrow bandgap energy and high charge carrier mobility, and they can be integrated into flexible thermoelectrics that can recover any waste heat. We here report air-stable n-type single walled carbon nanotubes with a...

We report a detailed experimental and theoretical study on the electronic and optical properties of highly boron-substituted (up to 15 at.%) single-wall carbon nanotubes. Core-level electron energy-loss spectroscopy reveals that the boron incorporates into the lattice structure of the tubes, transferring ,1/2 hole per boron atom into the carbon derived unoccupied density of states. The charge t...

Vertical arrays of single walled carbon nanotubes (VA-SWNTs) were grown using bi-metallic nanoparticle pro-catalysts. Iron oxide particles were doped with varying quantities of first row transition metals (Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu) for a comparative study of the growth of nanotubes. VA-CNT samples were verified using scanning electron microscopy, and characterized using resonance Raman spectroscopy. ...