Decorated single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes aiming H2S sensing

A novel hybrid material comprised of single- or multi-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with cerium-praseodymium mixed oxide nanoparticles was synthesized. The intrinsic redox characteristics of CePr-oxides make this chemical system promising for applications in gas sensing and catalysis. In this work, carbon nanotubes were first pre-oxidized followed by the in situ growth of oxide nanoparticles on the nanotube walls. Hydrolysis reactions of the metal precursors under appropriate conditions led to the formation of crystalline mixed oxide nanoparticles on the nanotube walls. Composition and structural characteristics of particles were analyzed using electron microscopy and EELS techniques. Decorated carbon nanotubes were explored for gas sensing in a chemi-resistor configuration, and preliminary results show high potential of this new hybrid material for sensing applications.