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Updated: May 9, 2026
Fabrication, Densification, and Replica Molding of 3D Carbon Nanotube Microstructures
Published on: July 2, 2012
Fabrication and characterization of a zirconia/multi-walled carbon nanotube mesoporous composite
Zonghua Wang1, Jianfei Xia, Yanzhi Xia
1Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Modern Textile, the Growing Base for State Key Laboratory, College of Chemical and Environment Engineering, Qingdao University, Shandong 266071, PR China. wang_zonghua@yahoo.com.cn
Abstract:
A zirconia/multi-walled carbon nanotube (ZrO2/MWCNT) mesoporous composite was fabricated via a simple method using a hydrothermal process with the aid of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption-desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used to characterize the as-made samples. The cubic ZrO2 nanocrystallites were observed to overlay the surface of MWCNTs, which resulted in the formation of a novel mesoporous-nanotube composite. On the basis of a TEM analysis of the products from controlled experiment, the role of the acid-treated MWCNTs and CTAB was proposed to explain the formation of the mesoporous-nanotube structure. The as-made composite possessed novel properties, such as a high surface area (312 m(2)·g(-1)) and a bimodal mesoporous structure (3.18 nm and 12.4 nm). It was concluded that this composite has important application value due to its one-dimensional hollow structure, excellent electric conductivity and large surface area.
