Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR) , IIT Madras
Synthesis of Highly Nitrogen Doped Carbon Nanostructures
Technology Category/Market
Technology: Synthesis of highly nitrogen doped carbon nanostructures
Category: Micro & Nano Technologies
Industry: Advanced material
Application: Clean energy
Market: The global market size was valued at USD 70.72 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 115.80 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.54% from 2023 to 2030.
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Problem Statement
- Nitrogen doped carbon nanostructures are promising for energy applications due to their high surface area, electrical conductivity, mechanical strength, thermal and chemical stability.
- Synthesis methods include polymerizing solid precursors at 450-700°C and chemical vapor deposition at 950-1050°C.
- In-situ preparation methods include high-temperature pyrolysis and pyrolysis at 600-1100°C.
- The study proposes a method for synthesizing highly nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes and graphitic carbon nitride g-C3N4 simultaneously, without the need for hazardous ammonia gas or liquid injection.
Technology
Key Features/Value Proposition
“Recovering Pure N-CNTs”
- Dissolving catalyst in concentrated nitric acid medium.
Precursor Selection Method
- Selects from nontoxic nitrogenous materials.
- Examples: melamine, dicyandiamide, thiourea, urea, guanidine hydrochloride.
Catalyst Method Overview
- Utilizes metal nanoparticles.
- Catalyzes metal alloys, oxides, hydroxides.
Nanoparticle Selection Method
- Selects nanoparticles from metals (Fe, Ni, Co, Mo).
- Combines metal alloys (Fe-Sn, Fe-Mo, Fe-Ni, ZrMnNi0.5Fe0.5, ZrMnFeNiCo).
- Combines metal oxides (Fe304, NiO).
- Combines metal hydroxides (Co(OH)2 or Ni(OH)2).
Synthesizing N-CNTs
- Uniform diameter with 20 nm outer diameter.
- Variance within 10%.
Synthesized N-CNTs: Bamboo-like Structure
- d spacing of 0.34 nm.
- Highly nitrogenized with 12 ± 3% N.
- Currently amended method.
Heating g-C3N4 to Decompose to Ammonia and Hydrocarbons
- Heats g-C3N4 to 800-1000 °C.
- Ammonia and hydrocarbons react to form N-CNTs on catalyst surface.
Questions about this Technology?
Contact for Licensing
Research Lab
Prof.Ramaprabhu S
Department. of Physics
Intellectual Property
IITM IDF Ref. 1411
Patent No: IN 325804
Technology Readiness Level
TRL- 3
Experimental proof of concept