Nitrogen- and boron-doped double-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) doped with nitrogen and boron have been prepared by the decomposition of a CH₄+Ar mixture along with pyridine (or NH₃) and diborane, respectively, over a Mo_0.1Fe_0.9Mg₁₃O catalyst, prepared by the combustion route. The doped DWNTs bave been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The dopant concentration is around 1 atom % for both boron and nitrogen. The radial breathing modes in the Raman spectra have been employed along with TEM to obtain the inner and outer diameters of the DWNTs. The diameter ranges for the undoped, N-doped (pyridine), N-doped (NH₃), and B-doped DWNTs are 0.73-2.20, 0.74-2.30, 0.73-2.32, and 0.74-2.36 nm, respectively, the boron-doped DWNTs giving rise to a high proportion of the large diameter DWNTs. Besides affecting the G-band in the Raman spectra, N- and B-doping affect the proportion of semiconducting nanotubes.