Towards a better understanding of FC-CVD carbon nanotube synthesis

更好地理解 FC-CVD 碳纳米管合成

• 批准号: 2891622
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2891622
• 关键词: Towards; better; understanding; FC; CVD

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are an exciting material due to their exception electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. The floating catalyst chemical vapour deposition (FC-CVD) process for CNT synthesis allows the continuous production of CNT aerogels. These aerogels can be collected directly from the reactor as fibres and mats for use in a range of applications. Since its invention in Cambridge in 2004, the FC-CVD process has been intensively researched leading to breakthroughs in understanding of the physical mechanisms underlying the process. These studies have relied on extractive measurements, but the limitations of such techniques leave blind spots in our understanding of the process. I aim to develop an optically transparent FC-CVD reactor capable of performing in-situ Raman, FTIR and other measurements of the process. This will allow a more detailed study of the FC-CVD growth process, especially regarding the nature of short-lived radical species that cannot be measured using extractive techniques. This project sits firmly within the EPSRC's themes of energy and decarbonisation, and engineering. Carbon nanotubes are the frontier of what humans can make in terms of their exceptional material properties, these properties give CNTs the potential to unlock new technological and engineering capabilities. However, the synthesis of CNTs in FC-CVD reactors is not fully understood, making it difficult to scale the process up to industrial scales while providing the efficiency needed for commercial success. By improving our understanding of the FC-CVD process for CNT synthesis, I aim to enable the design of more efficient reactors. Additionally, our process converts methane into solid carbon (CNTs) and hydrogen, the latter can then be used in applications such as industrial processes and clean energy. This process has a much lower CO2 intensity than steam methane reforming, the most common method of hydrogen production today.

碳纳米管 (CNT) 因其卓越的电学、热学和机械性能而成为一种令人兴奋的材料。用于 CNT 合成的浮动催化剂化学气相沉积 (FC-CVD) 工艺可以连续生产 CNT 气凝胶。这些气凝胶可以直接从反应器中收集为纤维和垫子，用于一系列应用。自 2004 年在剑桥发明以来，FC-CVD 工艺得到了深入研究，在对该工艺背后的物理机制的理解上取得了突破。这些研究依赖于提取测量，但此类技术的局限性在我们对该过程的理解中留下了盲点。我的目标是开发一种光学透明的 FC-CVD 反应器，能够进行原位拉曼、FTIR 和其他过程测量。这将允许对 FC-CVD 生长过程进行更详细的研究，特别是关于无法使用提取技术测量的短命自由基物种的性质。该项目坚定地符合 EPSRC 的能源和脱碳以及工程主题。碳纳米管因其卓越的材料特性而成为人类制造的前沿，这些特性使碳纳米管具有释放新技术和工程能力的潜力。然而，FC-CVD 反应器中碳纳米管的合成尚不完全清楚，因此很难将该工艺扩大到工业规模，同时提供商业成功所需的效率。通过提高我们对 CNT 合成 FC-CVD 工艺的理解，我的目标是能够设计出更高效的反应器。此外，我们的工艺将甲烷转化为固体碳（CNT）和氢气，后者可用于工业流程和清洁能源等应用。该过程的二氧化碳强度比蒸汽甲烷重整（当今最常见的制氢方法）低得多。