Effect of substrate and catalyst on the transformation of carbon black into nanotubes

Structural transformation of carbon black (CB) into nanotubes and nano-onion like structures in the presence of bimetallic catalysts (Fe and Ni) is reported and the influence of the substrate (alumina and stainless steel) in the structural transformation is studied. In addition, the importance of a specific weight ratio of CB to catalyst in the transformation of amorphous CB into graphitic nanostructures is verified. The experiments were carried out at 1,000 °C in a horizontal tube furnace under N2 atmosphere. The samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and also thermomagnetic analysis (Curie-temperature determinations) were done to assess thermally induced magnetic phase changes. All the characterization techniques showed the resulting structures were influenced by the substrate and weight ratio for CB to catalysts. However, there was no significant difference in the magnetic performance of the resulting structures obtained on different substrates.