Abstract

The characterization and hydrogen storage capacity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been studied in the present work. MWCNTs with high purity and bulk yield were achieved from a mixture of camphor/alcohol on a Ni/zeolite support by aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD). The morphology, surface quality and structure of MWCNTs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Crystallinity and defects of the MWCNTs were studied by Raman spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). Hydrogen storage properties of MWCNTs were investigated using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Values between 1.2 and 2.0 wt.% of adsorbed H-2 were reached depending on the exposure pressure. The results also showed that the remaining zeolite present in the as-prepared MWCNT powder adsorbs hydrogen, allowing better adsorption performance of the CNT12 and CNT13 samples. The hydrogen adsorption behavior of CNTs is significantly affected by their structural and morphological characteristics. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.