Iranian researchers at Islamic Azad University, Doroud branch proposed novel applications for zigzag carbon nanotubes by modifying their hydrophobic characteristics.
Leila Mahdavian, one of the researchers underscored the fact that carbon nanotubes are fundamentals of many researches and applications, adding, “Zigzag carbon nanotubes are generally hydrophobic and semiconductive and as a result they repel polar compounds like water and alcohols."
"This research was intended to make these carbon nanotubes hydrophilic,” she said to the news service of INIC.
To fulfill this goal, Mahdavian investigated the interactions between alcohols and CNTs. It was concluded that exposing ethanol to CNT is followed by electron exchange between them which leads to conversion in products like acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, hydrogen and finally carbon dioxide plus water.
This electron exchange enables CNTs to be applied in gas sensors and pushes them forward as replacements for fossil fuels.
To evaluate surface energy and structure (as a function of chemical potential of adsorbed compounds), atomic thermodynamic calculations
