New tailored carbon nanofilaments for catalytic applications

该项目涉及碳纳米丝和纳米管的合成、表征和规模化制备，并将重点放在它们在催化中的应用上，直接作为催化剂或作为高外表面积催化剂载体。它们也将被用作纳米材料合成的可移动模板。目前，这些碳纳米结构是正在研究的最令人兴奋的新材料之一，因为它们在新技术和新工艺中具有巨大的应用潜力。在这些新技术中，催化领域似乎是最有前途的领域之一。在斯特拉斯堡的实验室中，通过催化烃类分解成功地合成了高收率的化合物。该工艺得到的产品无需进一步提纯，大大降低了生产成本。该合成工艺的规模化以及对碳纳米丝结构的精确控制将是该项目的主要目标之一。对增长动力的理解处于危险之中。碳纳米丝可以提供几种特性，这取决于暴露在外表面的面。通过调整石墨烯片与纳米纤维轴之间的角度，人们可以不断地改变材料的表面物理化学性质（疏水/亲水性、表面酸碱功能、氧化还原活性等）。选择性控制良好的催化氧化水化反应（氧在非功能化石墨烯基面上的活化）将是第一个研究的反应。目标反应物是轻线性烃和乙苯，产物是轻烯烃、苯乙烯和/或相应的含氧分子。这些材料的高外表面积和活性相与暴露的石墨平面之间的特殊相互作用对其他液相和气相反应也将进行研究。可移动模板的用途将主要涉及磁性组分和纳米沸石的合成。

The project deals with the synthesis, the characterisation and the scale-up preparation of carbon nanofilaments and nanotubes, and will also be focused on their uses in catalysis, directly as catalyst or as high external surface area catalyst supports. They will also be used as removable template for nanomaterial syntheses. Nowadays these carbon nanostructures are among the most exciting new materials being investigated because of their great potential for uses in new technologies and processes. Among these new technologies, the field of catalysis seems to be one of the most promising. Syntheses with high yields were successfully achieved in the laboratory in Strasbourg via catalytic hydrocarbon decomposition. The products obtained by this process do not need any further purifications, which significantly reduces the production cost. The scale-up of this synthesis process will be one of the main objective of the project together with the accurate control of the carbon nanofilament structure. The comprehension of the growth kinetic is at stake. Carbon nanofilaments can offer several properties, depending on the faces exposed at the outer surfaces. By tailoring the angle between the graphene sheets and the nanofiber axis, one can continuously modify the surface physico-chemistry of the material (hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties, surface acid-base functions, redox activity, ...). The catalytic oxidehydration reaction (activation of oxygen on the non-functionalised graphene basal planes) with a good control in selectivity will be the first studied reaction. Target reactants are light linear hydrocarbons and ethylbenzene, where products are light olefins, styrene and/or the corresponding oxygenated molecules. The high external surface area of these materials and the peculiar interactions between the active phase and the exposed graphite plane have fundamental implications for other liquid and gas phase reactions which will also be studied. Removable template uses will mainly concern magnetic component and nanozeolite synthesis.