Studying catalytic synthesis of carbon nanostructures during microwave-assisted pyrolysis of cellulose

One of the ways to develop methods for effective and economical synthesis of carbon nanostructures from the plant raw materials is to use the energy of the microwave electromagnetic field for pyrolytic transformations of biomass. Combining microwave irradiation and pyrolysis process is a new solution with several advantages that increase the efficiency of the biomass processing and determine the prospects of the microwave pyrolysis in obtaining carbon nanoproducts. In this work, the conditions for catalytic synthesis of carbon nanotubes through the microwave pyrolysis of cellulose, a major component of biomass, were studied. The objective of the present investigation is to evaluate the effect of a binary nickel-iron catalyst supported on a carbon substrate on synthesis of carbon nanostructures. This process involves the use of organic additives, such as glucose and thiourea, which are intended to prevent oxidative reactions in the system and maintain the activity of the catalyst. Experiments were carried out by treating the mixture of reagents with the microwave radiation with a frequency of 2450 MHz and a power of 1000 W for 10-12 minutes. The synthesis samples were characterized by X-ray phase analysis and transmission electron microscopy. In all experiments, the formation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and few-layer graphene particles was observed. It was experimentally found that the used catalyst showed great activity in the microwave synthesis of carbon nanotubes in the presence of glucose.

carbon nanotubes, cellulose, microwave pyrolysis, Nickel-iron Catalyst, glucose, thiourea