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Effect of carbon nanotube incorporation in polyvinyl alcohol on structure and morphology of derived electrospun carbon nanofibers in presence of iodine and cadmium salt

Azami Ghadikolaei, M ; Sharif University of Technology

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  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. DOI: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2014.03.023
  3. Abstract:
  4. This research focused on fabrication of various carbon nanofibers (CNFs) from electrospun Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by utilization of iodine (I2) and cadmium acetate dihydrate (Cd) as stabilizers. Moreover, the influence of carbon nanotube (CNT) incorporation on structure and morphology of CNFs was investigated. In this regard, PVA and PVA-Cd solutions were individually prepared and electrospun. The resulting nanofibers were treated in I2 vapor and then carbonized. In the case of CNT incorporation, oxidized CNTs were first scattered in PVA and PVA-Cd solutions and then electrospun, iodinated and carbonized in the same conditions as mentioned above. It was found that the I2, Cd and their combination improved the carbon yield of PVA nanofibers. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) micrographs revealed that the Cd or CNT, and I2 created fibers with smaller and larger diameters, respectively. Structural analysis demonstrated that the effect of I2 on crystallite growth was greater than that of Cd. Furthermore, CNT-embedded CNFs, which were fabricated in the presence of I2, Cd and their combination, increased in-plane crystallite size from 6.1 to 8.3, 4.7 to 6.8 and 6.3-8.6 nm, respectively
  5. Keywords:
  6. Composite materials ; Electron microscopy (STEM, TEM and SEM) ; Nanostructures ; Nucleation ; Raman spectroscopy and scattering
  7. Source: Materials Chemistry and Physics ; April , 2014 ; SSN: 02540584
  8. URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0254058414001795