Mechanochemical Functionalization of Carbon Black at Room Temperature
Desirée Leistenschneider,
Katharina Zürbes,
Christina Schneidermann,
Sven Grätz,
Steffen Oswald,
Karl Wegner,
Benjamin Klemmed,
Lars Giebeler,
Alexander Eychmüller,
Lars Borchardt
Affiliations
Desirée Leistenschneider
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraße 66, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Katharina Zürbes
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraße 66, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Christina Schneidermann
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraße 66, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Sven Grätz
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraße 66, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Steffen Oswald
Institute for Complex Materials, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW) Dresden e.V., Helmholtzstraße 20, 01069 Dresden, Germany
Karl Wegner
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraße 66, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Benjamin Klemmed
Physical Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraße 66b, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Lars Giebeler
Institute for Complex Materials, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW) Dresden e.V., Helmholtzstraße 20, 01069 Dresden, Germany
Alexander Eychmüller
Physical Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraße 66b, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Lars Borchardt
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraße 66, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Carbon nanomaterials such as carbon blacks are intrinsically hydrophobic with limited wettability in aqueous media, thus restricting their potential applications. To improve their hydrophilicity, common methods tend to utilize harmful chemicals and conditions, such as a mixture of KMnO4 and H2SO4 or a complex and expensive synthesis setup. In our work, we report a simple method to improve the wettability of these materials by a mechanochemical treatment completed within 1 h at room-temperature utilizing a NH3 solution. Besides increasing the specific surface area of the carbon black from 67 m2·g−1 up to 307 m2·g−1, our process also incorporates nitrogen- and oxygen-containing functional groups into the carbon. This reduces the contact angle from 80° to 30°, confirming an enhanced wettability. Our work presents an easy, fast, and straightforward pathway towards the functionalization of carbon nanomaterials and can be of use in various applications where aqueous wettability is advantageous.
