Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production
Published on: December 6, 2021
Mesoporous-silica induced doped carbon nanotube growth from metal-organic frameworks
Huang Zhou1, Daping He2, Amiinu Ibrahim Saana1
1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China. msc@whut.edu.cn hedaping@whut.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Carbon materials, with a controllable structure, derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as a new class of electrocatalysts in renewable energy devices. However, efficient conversion of MOFs to small diameter doped carbon nanotubes in inert gases at high temperatures (>600 °C) remains a significant challenge. In this study, we first report the growth of small diameter cobalt and nitrogen co-doped carbon nanotubes (Co/N-CNTs) from mesoporous silica (mSiO2)-coated Co-based MOFs (ZIF-67). The presence of a layer of mSiO2 outside the ZIF-67 nanocrystals prevents the Co nanocatalysts from quick aggregation, and significantly serves as a unique 'sieve' for inducing the catalytic growth of CNTs during pyrolysis. The obtained Co/N-CNTs, with ∼13 nm diameter evolved from the pristine MOF architecture, exhibit higher catalytic activity and stability for oxygen reduction than commercial Pt/C electrocatalysts in alkaline media. This novel strategy opens a new avenue for the synthesis of Co/N-CNTs with great promise for developing high performance and cheap electrocatalysts.
Related Concept Videos
The Carbon Cycle
Carbon Skeletons
Bonding in Metals
Metallic Solids
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
Alkali Metals
Table 1: Properties of the alkali metals
Metal-Ligand Bonds
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...

