Principal Investigator Desiree Plata
Current synthetic approaches for carbon nanotube (CNT) synthesis are energy and reactant consumptive, with mass conversion efficiencies between 0.01-10%! Furthermore, the catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) used to produce some CNTs can result in the unintended release of several chemicals of environmental concern (such as toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, smog-forming volatile organic compounds, and soot-like materials that reduce the CNT product quality). We aim to use a mechanistic chemical understanding to reduce the formation of these unwanted materials, reduce the energetic costs of the synthesis, and improve the quality of the CNT material.