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Abstract
High-quality vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) were synthesised using ferrocene-chicken oil mixture utilising a thermal chemical vapour deposition (TCVD) method. Reaction parameters including vaporisation temperature, catalyst concentration and synthesis time were examined for the first time to investigate their influence on the growth of VACNTs. Analysis via field emission scanning electron microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed that the growth rate, diameter and crystallinity of VACNTs depend on the varied synthesis parameters. Vaporisation temperature of 570°C, catalyst concentration of 5.33 wt% and synthesis time of 60 min were considered as optimum parameters for the production of VACNTs from waste chicken fat. These parameters are able to produce VACNTs with small diameters in the range of 15–30 nm and good quality (ID/IG ~ 0.39 and purity ~76%) which were comparable to those synthesised using conventional carbon precursor. The low turn on and threshold fields of VACNTs synthesised using optimum parameters indicated that the VACNTs synthesised using waste chicken fat are good candidate for field electron emitter. The result of this study therefore can be used to optimise the growth and production of VACNTs from waste chicken fat in a large scale for field emission application.
Public Interest Statement
Chicken fat is a free waste material that can be obtained from the wet market and slaughterhouse. In this project, the waste chicken fat was used to produce an exceptional material called carbon nanotube. The selection of waste chicken fat as starting material is due to its high carbon content and zero cost. The effort of utilising the waste chicken fat has reduced the production cost of carbon nanotubes and also reduced the environmental impact of the improper disposal of waste chicken fat. This article studies the effect of important parameters including temperature, catalyst and time towards the production of carbon nanotubes. The results of this study demonstrate that the production of carbon nanotubes from waste chicken fat can potentially be controlled by selection of synthesis parameters.
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A.B. Suriani
A.B. Suriani is an associate professor at Department of Physics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, Malaysia. Her research is concerned on nanomaterials, with special interest in carbon-based materials including graphene, carbon nanotubes and their applications in electronic devices. She is the author of more than 50 papers in reputed journals. She has received various research grants, among them are from Kurita Water and Environment Foundation, Japan, Malaysia Toray Science Foundation, Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia and Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Malaysia. She was also awarded the L’Oreal Malaysia for Women in Science Fellowship Award 2013.