Effect of Temperature on the Transformation of Carbon Black into Nanotubes

Abstract

In this paper, successful structural transformation of carbon black (CB) into nanotubes and nanoonion like structures at relatively low temperatures in the presence of transition metal catalyst is reported. This study focuses also on the influence of the temperature on the structural transformation of CB into nanostructures. The experiments were carried out at 700°C and 1000°C in a horizontal tube furnace under N2 atmosphere. The obtained samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). It was found that increase in the synthesis temperature from 700°C to 1000°C influences the morphology of the produced nanotubes significantly and the degree of crystallinity also increased with the temperature..