Nanotube synthesis by thermal plasma for lithium-ion batteries / synthèse de nanotubes par plasma thermique pour piles lithium-ion

用于锂离子电池的热等离子体合成纳米管 / 等离子体热熔堆锂离子合成纳米管

• 批准号: 428676-2011
• 负责人: Soucy, Gervais
• 金额: $ 6.44万
• 依托单位: Université de Sherbrooke
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2013-01-01 至 2014-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=532599
• 关键词: Nanotube; synthesis; thermal; plasma; lithium

Excellent physicochemical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) make them good candidates for many applications ranging from lightweight materials for transportations to new catalytic supports for other functional materials. In a collaborative effort between the Université de Sherbooke (UdeS), l'Institut de recherche de l'Hydro-Québec (IREQ)., a new 50-kW induction thermal plasma system has been recently redesigned and started up for the mass production of SWCNTs as well as other type of nanotubes such as silicon nanotubes (SiNTs) and Li4Ti5O12 nanotube in a continuous manner to make the Li-ions batteries (LIBs) more powerful by improving the performance of the electrodes particularly the anode. The nanotube synthesis process is based on the evaporation of the raw feedstock materials by using a radio frequency (RF) plasma torch as a heat source to activate generation of the precursor species involved in the formation of SWCNTs. In the last 4 years, UdeS with others partners has successfully demonstrated that the SWCNT can be continuously synthesized at a purity level of above 30 % using RF inductively coupled plasma reactor with a fraction of the cost of conventional technologies.To realize the industrial applications, however, practical methods for the precise control of nanostructure as well as direct modification of their chemical properties are essentially required to tailor their functional performance specifically. In this project, it is proposed to develop an economically viable reactor capable of producing a minimum of one kilogram of product material per day, containing SWCNTs, SiNTs and Li4Ti5O12 nanotube with a concentration of at least 95 weight-percent. This goal will only be realized through optimizing the feeding rate of the powder feeder, upgrading the data acquisition system, controlling the mass balance of the system, characterizing different types of the reactant mixtures with the metal catalysts for each type of nanotubes and finally purifying the nanotube containing materials by an in-situ and post-processing treatments to be used in LIBs.

单壁碳纳米管（SWCNTs）具有优异的物理化学性质，在交通运输等领域有着广泛的应用前景。在Sherbooke大学（UdeS）、魁北克水电研究所（IREQ）的合作努力下，最近重新设计并启动了一种新的50-kW感应热等离子体系统，用于以连续方式大规模生产SWCNT以及其它类型的纳米管，例如硅纳米管（SiNT）和Li 4 Ti 5 O 12纳米管，以通过改善电极（特别是阳极）的性能来使Li离子电池（LIB）更强大。纳米管合成工艺是基于通过使用射频（RF）等离子体炬作为热源以激活参与SWCNT形成的前体物质的生成来蒸发原原料材料。在过去的4年里，UdeS与其他合作伙伴成功地证明了使用RF电感耦合等离子体反应器可以连续合成纯度高于30%的SWCNT，而成本仅为传统技术的一小部分。然而，为了实现工业应用，精确控制纳米结构以及直接改变其化学性质的实用方法基本上需要定制具体的功能表现。在该项目中，建议开发一种经济上可行的反应器，该反应器能够每天生产至少一公斤的产品材料，其中含有浓度至少为95wt%的SWCNT、SiNT和Li 4 Ti 5 O 12纳米管。该目标将仅通过优化粉末进料器的进料速率、升级数据采集系统、控制系统的质量平衡、表征具有用于每种类型的纳米管的金属催化剂的不同类型的反应物混合物以及最终通过原位和后处理处理来纯化含纳米管的材料以用于LIB来实现。