EFFECT OF NITROGEN VARIATION ON THE SYNTHESIS OF VERTICALLY ALIGNED BAMBOO-SHAPED <font>C–N</font> NANOTUBES USING SUNFLOWER OIL

Abstract

To examine the role of NH 3 on bundles of aligned bamboo-shaped carbon–nitrogen (C–N) nanotube were synthesized the pyrolysis of ferrocene (Fe(C 5 H 5 ) 2 ) and sunflower oil mixtures with NH 3 being the source of nitrogen. The concentration of NH 3 was varying in volume (vol). Optimized temperature and concentration of ferrocene were 825°C and 10 mg/ml, respectively. With the increase of nitrogen concentration the bundles are breaking in nearly equal parts. With nitrogen doping, the nanotubes have a bamboo-like structure and reveal degraded crystallinity of graphitic sheets. Nitrogen plays key role in generating equal compartments inside the carbon nanotube. The nanotubes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy that reveal the vertically aligned and hollow structural features of the nanotubes. FTIR shows the incorporation of N atom inside carbon framework and Raman spectrum indicates the enhancement of the defects inside C–N nanotube due to the N atom in C–N nanotube.