Synthesis and characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with hydroxyapatite

Abstract

In this paper, multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been prepared at low synthesis temperatures and without high pressure by a simple chemical route. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis was used to determine the purity of the synthetized compound. Also, by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, a diameter between 9 nm and 43 nm and approximately 500–600 nm in length of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, was confirmed. Further, the multi-walled carbon nanotubes functionalized with negative charged functional groups (anionic groups) were decorated with hydroxyapatite by co-precipitation method. The decoration of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with hydroxyapatite was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Also, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis proved the successfully obtaining of the nanocomposites. The simple method presented here may be extended to synthesize other composites based on coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Keywords:

• Carbon nanotubes
• decorated nanotubes
• nanomaterials
• chemical synthesis
• hydroxyapatite

Conflicts of interest

All authors hereby declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Author contributions

Conceptualization: Madalina Elena David; Methodology: Madalina Elena David, Rodica-Mariana Ion; Formal analysis and investigation: Madalina Elena David, Elena Ramona Andrei, Raluca Somoghi, Adriana Nicoleta Frone, Irina Atkinson, Luminita Predoana, Adrian-Ionut Nicoara; Writing – original draft preparation: Madalina Elena David; Writing – review and editing: Ramona Marina Grigorescu, Lorena Iancu, Madalina Elena David; Funding acquisition: Rodica-Mariana Ion; Supervision: Rodica-Mariana Ion.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation, CCCDI – UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P1-1.2-PCCDI-2017-0476/51PCCDI/2018, within PNCDI III.