Investigations of Electron Properties of Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with Platinum Nanoparticles with Their Varying Fraction

Abstract

The paper presents the outcomes of investigations into electron properties and a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the chemical composition of unmodified carbon nanotubes with comparison to nanotubes decorated with platinum nanoparticles. The fabricated nanocomposite materials of the CNT-Pt type differed in a varying mass concentration of platinum nanoparticles (5, 10, and 20% of Pt). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to examine the structure and to analyse chemical composition. Survey spectra measurements within a wide range of the binding energy of 0–1400 eV were performed in the first phase of the investigations. The core lines of C1s carbon, Pt4f platinum, and O1s oxygen and a valence band were then measured. The chemical composition of the studied materials was determined based on the measured spectra of the core lines. The purpose of the investigations is to determine the effect of platinum nanoparticles on the structure and electron properties of the fabricated CNT-Pt nanocomposites.