Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Material for Air Filtering Applications

Abstract: Carbon Nanotube (CNT) hybrid material is formed by integrating nanoparticles into CNT sheet to improve and customize the properties of the sheet for specific application. The floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD) method was used to synthesize CNT hybrid sheets. In this method, feedstock (a carbon source, catalyst and sulfur as a promoter) is injected from one end of ceramic tube in the high-temperature furnace. The CNT sock or web is collected at the other end of the tube and wrapped on a rotating drum to form a sheet. The FCCVD method is a continuous process and can produce industrial scale CNT sheet. The large surface area and porous nature of the thin CNT sheet or CNT sheet with nanoparticles can be used for filtering applications. The high filtration efficiency and low-pressure drop are key factors for evaluating filter performance. The large surface area of the CNTs allows greater interaction of an aerosol with the sheet compared to other materials. The antibacterial property of the CNTs may be useful for capturing and deactivation of pathogens/virus. This antibacterial property may be improved by incorporating anti-viral nanoparticles into the sheet. A CNT-metal oxide filter membrane composed of silver nanoparticles and CNTs was produced to provide anti-bacterial properties. The metal also acted as a welding agent to bond the CNTs together and changed the surface from hydrophobic to more hydrophilic [1]. There are various ways to integrate nanoparticles in the CNT sheet such as wetting, filling the nanotube shells, or injecting nanoparticles in the synthesis process so that a chemical reaction takes place. In this work, we modified the CNT by injecting nanoparticles during the high temperature synthesis process. The concentration and properties of the CNT hybrid material depends on the synthesis conditions, feedstock composition and carrier gas flow composition. The permeability of the hybrid filter membranes can be customized by the growth time of nanotubes. This membranes produced in a short growth time showed good permeability due to the strong air flow in partially filled channels [2]. This presentation discusses synthesis of CNT sheet using the FCCVD method and our approach to integrate nanoparticles in the sheet to improve the properties of the hybrid material. Furthermore, the filtering applications for this hybrid material and the manufacturing obstacles are discussed.

Keywords: Carbon nanotubes, hybrid material; nanoparticles; air filtering.

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