Synthesis of multiwall carbon nanotubes by using mesoporous aluminosilicates

Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been synthesized by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) of ethylene on several mesoporous aluminosilicates impregnated with iron. The aluminosilicates were synthesized by sol-gel method optimizing the Si/Al ratios from 6 to 80. The catalysts are characterized by nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction, Al-27 NMR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and infrared. The MWCNTs are characterized by TGA and transmission and scanning electron microscope. The aluminum is incorporated in a tetrahedral way into the mesoporous structure, given place to Bronsted acidic sites which are corroborated by FTIR using pyridine as probe molecule. The presence of aluminum reduces the quantity of amorphous carbon produced in the synthesis of carbon nanotubes which does not happen for mesoporous silica impregnated only with iron. It was observed a decrease in thermal stability of MWCNTs due to the presence of more metal particles which help to their earlier oxidation process.