Nanoporous Cu-C composites based on carbon-nanotube aerogels

Journal Article · Fri Nov 22 00:00:00 EST 2013 · Journal of Materials Chemistry. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/C3TA14303A· OSTI ID:1117047

Charnvanichborikarn, S.; Shin, S. J.; Worsley, M. A.; Tran, I. C.; Willey, T. M.; van Buuren, T.; Felter, T. E.; Colvin, J. D.; Kucheyev, S. O. ^[1]

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1. LLNL

Current synthesis methods of nanoporous Cu–C composites offer limited control of the material composition, structure, and properties, particularly for large Cu loadings of ≳20 wt%. Here, we describe two related approaches to realize novel nanoporous Cu–C composites based on the templating of recently developed carbon-nanotube aerogels (CNT-CAs). Our first approach involves the trapping of Cu nanoparticles while CNT-CAs undergo gelation. This method yields nanofoams with relatively high densities of ≳65 mg cm^-3 for Cu loadings of ≳10 wt%. Our second approach overcomes this limitation by filling the pores of undoped CNT-CA monoliths with an aqueous solution of CuSO₄ followed by (i) freeze-drying to remove water and (ii) thermal decomposition of CuSO₄. With this approach, we demonstrate Cu–C composites with a C matrix density of -25 mg cm^-3 and Cu loadings of up to 70 wt%. These versatile methods could be extended to fabricate other nanoporous metal–carbon composite materials geared for specific applications.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE - BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES
• OSTI ID: 1117047
• Journal Information: Journal of Materials Chemistry. A, Vol. 2, Issue 4; ISSN 2050-7488
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: ENGLISH