Carbon Trends (Apr 2022)

Fine-tuning the catalytic cracking-assisted synthesis of plastic-derived MWCNTs-supported metal oxides for methanol electrooxidation

  • Anawat Thivasasith,
  • Chadatip Rodaum,
  • Watinee Nunthakitgoson,
  • Sunpet Assavapanumat,
  • Chularat Wattanakit

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7
p. 100158

Abstract

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Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been successfully fabricated using waste plastics via the two-stage process combining between catalytic cracking with the aid of an acid zeolite, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using transition metals supported on zeolites as catalysts. By fine-tuning the catalytic cracking process with an appropriate zeolite, the small carbon intermediates can be produced from starting plastics. Subsequently, transition metals supported on zeolites were used as catalytic templates in the CVD process to efficiently produce uniform structured and high qualified MWCNTs with a very high yield (96%) from cracked products. Interestingly, the fabricated materials exhibit the significantly improved electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol up to 8 to 14-fold advantage with respect to the one obtained by a traditional synthesis. These findings open up new opportunities to fine-tune the performance of synthesized CNTs from plastics in an electrocatalysis.

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