Properties of single-walled carbon nanotube-based aerogels as a function of nanotube loading

✍ Scribed by Marcus A. Worsley; Peter J. Pauzauskie; Sergei O. Kucheyev; Joseph M. Zaug; Alex V. Hamza; Joe H. Satcher Jr.; Theodore F. Baumann

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 433 KB
• Volume: 57
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1359-6454
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2009.07.012

✦ Synopsis

Here, we present the synthesis and characterization of low-density single-walled carbon nanotube-based aerogels (SWNT-CA). Aerogels with varying nanotube loading (0-55 wt.%) and density (20-350 mg cm À3 ) were fabricated and characterized by four-probe method, electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and nitrogen porosimetry. Several properties of the SWNT-CAs were highly dependent upon nanotube loading. At nanotube loadings of 55 wt.%, shrinkage of the aerogel monoliths during carbonization and drying was almost completely eliminated. Electrical conductivities are improved by an order of magnitude for the SWNT-CA (55 wt.% nanotubes) compared to those of foams without nanotubes. Surface areas as high as 184 m 2 g À1 were achieved for SWNT-CAs with greater than 20 wt.% nanotube loading.