Preparation and physicochemical characterisation of functionalised multi-walled carbon nanotubes

A series of new functionalised carbonaceous materials were prepared by means of oxidation and ammoxidation of commercially available multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The effect of oxygen and nitrogen doping on the textural, surface as well as thermal properties of the prepared adsorbents was tested. The materials were characterized by elemental analysis, low-temperature nitrogen sorption, determination of the surface oxygen groups content as well as by coupled thermogravimetric and spectroscopic methods (TG/DSC/MS). Depending of the variant of raw nanotubes modification, the final products were oxygen- and nitrogen-doped materials of medium-developed surface area and mesoporous structure, showing highly diverse acidic-basic character of the surface, from the weakly acidic to slightly alkaline.