NER: Bio-inspired Synthesis of Novel Porous Carbon Nanotubes

罗切斯特大学碳纳米管是纳米复合材料、低温燃料电池电极催化剂的支撑材料、过滤和分离等各种新型应用中的重要活性成分。 碳纳米管的结构改性和表面功能是许多这些应用的关键。 该项目的重点是从表面活性剂组装开始，类似于自然界中形成的生物脂质管的结构，生物启发合成新型多孔碳纳米管（pCNT）。 本项目的主要目的是从不同脂肪酸的LB膜中制备pCNTs，了解pCNTs的形成机理，并对pCNTs的结构与性能的关系进行初步研究。知识产权在本项目中，PI将探索一种基于自组装和模板原理的生物启发方法，合成具有不同表面官能团和化学组成的多孔碳纳米管，结晶度。 他假设具有均匀厚度的自组装多孔表面活性剂层可以用作在有机表面活性剂分解时在升高的温度下转化为碳纳米管时产生纳米管的前体结构（~450）。 他进一步假设，膜到纳米管的形成是由有机膜的顶部和底部之间产生的应变梯度以及分子水平和碳化过程中的货车范德华力驱动的。 具体目标是：1）在阳极氧化铝（AAO）纳米多孔膜模板上制备了各种羧酸表面活性剂的负载型多孔LB膜; 2）在不同的合成条件下，如温度、LB膜厚度和表面活性剂类型，这些多孔LB膜转化为多孔碳纳米管（含烯烃和芳环链）; 3）多孔碳纳米管的孔隙率、气体吸收率和电导率表征。更广泛的影响该计划将有助于功能碳纳米管的开发。 这些材料在先进的碳纳米管纤维和复合材料、先进的分离和过滤技术、燃料电池催化剂的新型组分（将影响汽车、航空航天、微电子、精细化工和制药工业）以及氢经济的发展等领域至关重要。生物启发纳米材料的课程模块将被开发并纳入材料化学课程，为罗切斯特大学几个系的研究生和本科生提供的“先进材料化学”。 本科生和高中生将有机会通过暑期实习计划进行相关项目的研究。 为了接触代表性不足的高中生，PI将与大学管理部门和地方组织合作，招募经济困难的学生，并为他们成为纳米技术跨学科领域的未来劳动力做好准备。 他的小组将加强与皮茨福德高中职业实习计划和美国化学学会（ACS）罗切斯特分部项目种子计划的合作关系，该计划吸引了大量来自西纽约地区的高中生。 研究成果的传播将通过在权威期刊上发表、在会议和讲习班上介绍、应邀演讲和组织专题研讨会等方式进行。

University of Rochester Carbon nanotubes are important active components in various novel applications such as nanocomposites, supporting materials for electrode catalysts in low-temperature fuel cells, filtration and separation. Structural modification and surface functionality of carbon nanotubes are pivotal to many of these applications. This project focuses on a bio-inspired synthesis of novel porous carbon nanotubes (pCNTs) starting from the surfactant assembly that resembles those structures of biolipid tubes formed in Nature. The project aims at the development of pCNTs from porous Langmuir-Blogdett (LB) films of various fatty acids, the understanding of the formation mechanism and preliminary data on the structure-property relationship.Intellectual MeritIn this project, the PI will explore a bio-inspired approach, based on the self-assembly and template principles, to synthesis of porous carbon nanotubes with different surface functional groups and chemical compositions, degree of crystallinity. He hypothesizes that self-assembled porous surfactant layers with homogenous thickness can be used as precursor structure in the creation of nanotubes upon conversions to carbon nanotubes at the elevated temperatures when organic surfactants being to decompose (~450). He further hypothesizes that the film to nanotube formation is driven by the stain gradients created between the top and bottom of the organic films and the van der Waals forces at the molecular level and during the carbonization process. The specific aims are: 1) Generation of supported porous Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of various carboxylic acid surfactants on templates of anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) nanoporous membranes; 2) Conversion of these porous LB thin films into porous carbon nanotubes under various synthetic conditions, such as temperature, thickness of LB films and the type of surfactants (alkene and aromatic ring- containing chains); and 3) Prelimiary porosity, gas absorbance and conductivity characterizations of porous carbon nanotubes are to be made.Broader ImpactThe program will contribute to the development of functional carbon nanotubes. Such materials are critically important in the areas of advanced carbon nanotube fibers and composites, advanced separation and filtration techniques, novel components for fuel cell catalysts which will impact in automobile, aerospace, microelectronic, fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and in the advancement of hydrogen economy.Course modules on the bio-inspired nanomaterials will be developed and incorporated into the materials chemistry course, "the Chemistry of Advance Materials" offered to graduate and undergraduate students from several Departments at the University of Rochester. Undergraduate and high school students will be given opportunities to conduct research on related projects through summer internship programs. To reach out for under-representative high school students, the PI will work with the University administrations and local organizations to recruit economically disadvantaged students and prepare them to be the future workforce in the interdisciplinary fields of nanotechnology. His group will strengthen the partnership with Pittsford High School Career Intern Program, and American Chemical Society (ACS) Rochester Section Project SEED program which attracts a large number of high school students from Western New York region. The dissemination of research results will be carried out through the publication in refereed journals, presentation at conferences and workshops, invited lectures, and organization of topical symposia.