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CARBON NANOTUBES IN MICROWAVE ENVIRONMENT-IGNITION AND RECONSTRUCTION
Citation:
VARMA, R. S. AND M. N. NADAGOUDA. CARBON NANOTUBES IN MICROWAVE ENVIRONMENT-IGNITION AND RECONSTRUCTION. Presented at 234th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19 - 23, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
The unusual property of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT), multi-wall (MWNT) nanotubes and Buckminsterfullerene (C-60) is observed upon exposure to microwave-assisted ignition. Carbon nanotubes known for a range of mechanical and electronic properties because of their unique structure and dimensions, display another unusual property of ignition upon exposure to microwave (MW) irradiation. The nature of the ignition intensity depends on the source material, e.g. SWNT have higher intensity when compared to MWNT and C-60 and can be altered by doping with external metal salts. As an example, iron nitrate increases the flame intensity by the order of 2-3 folds. The process can be repeated several times without sacrificing the flame. The ignited products were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The recyclable ignition of these carbon nanotubes upon exposure to microwaves may find various technological and biological applications.