Synthesis and characterization of nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes

The present work describes the synthesis of nitrogen doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CN_x CNT). The chosen production method was the catalytic pyrolysis of a solid mixture containing [Ni(DMG)₂] and melamine (C₃H₆N₆), under an ?r atmosphere. A series of various experiments were performed, using different proportions of the reaction mixture, in order to optimize the production conditions of nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes. Finally, the produced materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), Raman spectroscopy as well as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The obtained data from all the above analyses, showed the formation of nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes of various diameters as well as nanofibers surrounded by byproducts such as aggregations of amorphous carbon and metallic catalyst, depending on the proportion of the reaction mixture.