Synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes using tire pyrolysis oil as a carbon precursor by spray pyrolysis method

ABSTRACT

Synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by spray pyrolysis method on quartz substrate using tire pyrolysis oil as a carbon precursor with ferrocene as a catalyst at 950°C is achieved. In the first phase of the present work, waste tire was converted into tire pyrolysis oil by thermal pyrolysis process. The maximum pyrolytic yield of 40.0 wt.% was obtained at 400°C. The waste pyrolysis tire oils separated into three fractions based on its boiling point viz., low boiling point liquid (45-205 °C), moderate oil (205-300 °C) and high boiling point oil (>300 °C ). The low boiling point liquid is a complex mixture of C₁₀-C₂₉ organic compounds. In the second phase of the investigation, the organic liquid fraction was chosen as a carbon precursor for the synthesis of MWNTs. MWNTs were synthesized from low boiling point liquid by spray pyrolysis using ferrocene as a catalyst on quartz substrate at 950°C.

KEYWORDS:

• Tire pyrolysis oil
• ferrocene
• carbon nanotubes
• quartz substrate

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge DST, New Delhi, and the Institute for Environmental and Nanotechnology for technical support and IITM for access to electron microscopes.