The comparison in the efficiency in nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes and undoped carbon nanotubes in the anchoring of silver nanoparticles

Nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) provide unique structure, controlled electrical properties and strong interactions with deposited nanoparticles due to the presence of nitrogen. The aim of this communication is to present the preliminary results obtained after investigating the efficiency of N-CNTs and undoped CNTs in the anchoring of silver (Ag) nanoparticles. N-CNTs synthesized in a tubular quartz reactor that was inserted in a horizontal furnace were used. Microwave assisted polyol synthesis and wet impregnation method was used to successfully load Ag nanoparticles on both N-CNTs and undoped CNTs. The samples have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), BET, and Raman Spectroscopy. N-CNTs provide a good support for Ag nanoparticles despite a lower surface area and less surface defects when compared to undoped CNTs. The metal particles were uniformly dispersed on the surface of the N-CNTs. The results suggested that the N-CNTs have strong interactions with the metal nanoparticles which may prevent agglomeration / sintering of the metal nanoparticles during use in water purification.