硫氮掺杂碳纳米管
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化工进展 2016年第35卷·830·由图7可以看出,剂油质量比对焦化蜡油脱氮效果影响显著,对精制油收率的影响不大。
当剂油质量比为1∶2时,脱氮率为64.46%。
当剂油质量比为1∶4时,脱氮率达到最大为88.04%。
剂油质量比增大,增加了吸附剂的量,也增加了吸附剂上磷钨酸活性位点,即增加了焦化蜡油中碱性氮化物与吸附剂酸活性位的接触机会,使脱除的碱性氮化物增多,脱氮率逐渐升高。
剂油比继续增大时,脱氮率逐渐下降,这可能是由于剂油比逐渐增大,增加了焦化蜡油中烃类与负载型磷钨酸活性位点接触机会,与吸附剂上碱性氮化物的吸附产生竞争吸附,使单位吸附剂上氮化物的吸附量相应减少,脱氮率下降。
因此,最佳脱氮率的剂油质量比为1∶4。
3 结论本研究进行了负载型杂多酸吸附剂脱除焦化蜡油中碱性氮化物的实验,得出如下结论。
(1)实验用硅胶负载杂多酸制备吸附剂,负载型磷钨酸吸附剂的红外光谱图表明,硅胶成功负载了Keggin型磷钨酸。
氮气吸附-脱附等温线表明,吸附剂有介孔材料的特征,都具有介孔孔道,表明负载型磷钨酸吸附剂是一种理想的脱氮吸附剂。
(2)实验用非加氢处理方法的吸附脱氮法脱除焦化蜡油中碱性氮化物,得到了焦化蜡油脱氮的最佳工艺条件。
以活化硅胶负载磷钨酸作为吸附剂、磷钨酸负载质量分数为40%、吸附温度为50℃、吸附时间为50min、剂油质量比为1∶4的条件下,焦化蜡油中的碱性氮化物的脱除率为89.07%,收率为95.54%。
吸附脱氮法操作简单,效果明显,吸附剂可有效脱除焦化蜡油中的碱性氮化物。
参考文献[1] 马丽娜,马守涛,刘丽莹,等. 焦化蜡油络合脱氮-催化裂化组合工艺研究[J]. 石油与天然气化工,2011,4(6):571-573. [2] 温世昌,周亚松,魏强. 焦化蜡油中含氮化合物的加氢反应性能[J]. 石油学报(石油加工),2008,24(5):496-502.[3] 陈文艺,栾锡林,关毅达. 我国焦化蜡油的组成和特性[J]. 石油化工,2000(8):607-612.[4] 袁起民,王屹亮,山红红,等. 焦化蜡油催化裂化产物氮分布的研究[J]. 燃料化学学报,2007,35(3):375-379.[5] 徐晓宇,孙悦,沈健,等. HY和USY分子筛对模拟油品中碱性氮化物的吸附行为[J]. 化工进展,2014,33(4):1035-1040. [6] SONG C S. An overview of new approaches to deep desulfurizationfor ultra-clean gasoline,diesel fuel and jet fuel[J]. Catalysts Today,2003,86 :211-263.[7] 张海燕,代跃利,蔡蕾. 杂多酸催化剂催化氧化脱硫研究进展[J].化工进展,2013,32(4):809-815.[8] 丁巍,王鼎聪,赵德智,等. 纳米自组装催化剂金属分散度对催化活性的影响[J]. 现代化工,2014,34(5):113-116.[9] 于光林,周亚松,魏强,等. 辽河焦化蜡油中碱性氮化物的脱除[J]. 化工进展,2011,30(s1):104-106.[10] BAUSERMAN J W,NGUYEN K M,MUSHRUSH G W. Nitrogencompound determination and distribution in three source fuels byGC/MS[J]. Petroleum Science and Technology,2004,22(11/12):1491-1505.[11] 廖爱玲. 2018年全国车用汽油全部达到国5标准[J]. 中国石油和化工标准与质量,2013(16):2.[12] 孙敬军,修彭浩,从日明,等. 焦化蜡油活化树脂吸附脱氮及反应性能的研究[J]. 石油与天然气化工,2014,43(3):234-240. [13] YADAY G D,MISTRY C K. Oxidation of benzyl alcohol under asynergism of phase transfer catalysis and heterpolyacids[J]. Journal ofMolecular Catalysis A:Chemical,2001,172(1/2):135-149. [14] WANG J,ZHU H O. Alkylation of l-dodecene with benzene overH3PW12O40 supported on mesoporous silica SBA-15[J]. CatalysisLetters,2004,93(3/4):209-212.[15] 张海燕,代跃利,蔡蕾. 杂多酸催化剂催化氧化脱硫研究进展[J].化工进展,2013,32(4):809-815.[16] 于海云. 负载型杂多酸催化剂的制备、表征及催化性能研究[D].通辽:内蒙古民族大学,2012:1-7.[17] STAITI P,FRENI S,HOCEV AR S,et al. Synthesis andcharacterization of proton-conducting materials containing dodecatungstophosphoric and dodecatungstosilic acid supported onsilica[J]. Journal of Power Sources,1999,79(2):250-255. [18] 陈霄榕,李永丹. SiO2与Keggin杂多酸相互作用的研究[J]. 分子催化,2002,16(1):60-64.[19] 冯锡兰,彭慧慧,柳云骐,等. 负载型杂多酸催化甲苯异丙基化反应[J]. 化工进展,2014,33(12):3263-3269.[20] 付辉,李会鹏,赵华,等. WO3-ZSM-5/MCM-41用于FCC汽油催化氧化脱硫工艺研究[J]. 精细石油化工,2013,30(6):19-22.2016年第35卷第3期CHEMICAL INDUSTRY AND ENGINEERING PROGRESS ·831·化工进展氮掺杂对碳材料性能的影响研究进展张德懿,雷龙艳,尚永花(兰州理工大学石油化工学院,甘肃兰州 730050)摘要:碳材料是目前研究和应用最为广泛的一类无机非金属材料。
专利名称:一种可控的氮掺杂碳纳米管的制备方法专利类型:发明专利
发明人:夏晖,郭秋卜,杨梅,翟腾
申请号:CN201710235593.3
申请日:20170412
公开号:CN108689398A
公开日:
20181023
专利内容由知识产权出版社提供
摘要:本发明公开了一种可控的氮掺杂碳纳米管的制备方法。
该方法首先将金属盐、碳源和氮源溶于水或乙醇溶液中,60‑80℃下搅拌至溶液挥发形成溶胶,再将溶胶置于80‑120℃下干燥形成凝胶,最后将凝胶状前驱体进行高温热处理碳化,在350‑650℃下保温2‑4h,再在750‑1000℃下保温5‑10h,得到含金属或金属硫化物的掺氮碳纳米管,简单的腐蚀后即得掺氮碳纳米管。
本发明的溶
胶‑凝胶法能够实现对掺氮碳纳米管管径和管长的有效调控,氮含量、孔结构和导电性均可调节。
本发明制备的氮掺杂碳纳米管应用于电池的电极材料中,有效提高了电池的循环寿命,具有良好的电化学性能,有望应用在电化学催化、能源转换及储能等领域。
申请人:南京理工大学
地址:210094 江苏省南京市孝陵卫200号
国籍:CN
代理机构:南京理工大学专利中心
代理人:刘海霞
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氮掺杂碳纳米管
氮掺杂碳纳米管是一种新型的纳米材料,具有优异的物理和化学性质,其应用前景广阔。
本文将从氮掺杂碳纳米管的制备、性质和应用方面进行介绍,希望对读者有所启发。
首先,氮掺杂碳纳米管的制备方法多种多样,可以通过化学气相沉积、化学气相沉积-电弧放电、电化学氧化还原、溶胶凝胶法等多种方法制备。
其中,化学气相沉积方法制备出来的氮掺杂碳纳米管具有尺寸均一、晶格结构完整的特点。
其次,氮掺杂碳纳米管的性质也非常出色。
由于氮原子的掺杂会导致碳纳米管的电子结构发生改变,使得氮掺杂碳纳米管具有比纯碳纳米管更优异的电催化活性、电化学性能、光催化性能、导电性、机械强度等性质。
因此,氮掺杂碳纳米管可以广泛应用于能源转换、催化反应、电子器件、生物医学等领域。
最后,氮掺杂碳纳米管的应用前景非常广阔。
在能源转换方面,氮掺杂碳纳米管可以作为光催化材料用于制备高效的太阳能电池和水分解催化剂,作为电催化材料用于制备高性能的燃料电池和电化学超级电容器。
在催化反应方面,氮掺杂碳纳米管可以作为催化剂用于制备高效的有机合成和环境治理。
在电子器件方面,氮掺杂碳纳米管可以作为高性能的导电材料用于制备柔性电子器件。
在生物医学方面,氮掺杂碳纳米管可以作为纳米药物载体、光热治疗剂和分子成像探针用于癌症治疗和分子诊断。
总之,氮掺杂碳纳米管是一种非常有前途的纳米材料,其制备、性质和应用方面都有着广泛而深远的研究价值和实际应用意义。
我们相信,在未来的科技进步和人类文明进程中,氮掺杂碳纳米管将会发挥越来越重要的作用。
物 理 化 学 学 报Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. 2024, 40 (2), 2304021 (1 of 2)Received: April 10, 2023; Revised: May 22, 2023; Accepted: May 23, 2023; Published online: June 8, 2023.*Correspondingauthors.Emails:***********.cn(H.L.);****************.cn(L.X.);Tel.:+86-511-88799500(L.X.).The project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22178148, 22278193).国家自然科学基金(22178148, 22278193)资助项目 © Editorial office of Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica[Article] doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB202304021 Fe 0.64Ni 0.36@Fe 3NiN Core-Shell Nanostructure Encapsulated in N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries with Ultralong Cycle StabilityChen Pu, Daijie Deng, Henan Li *, Li Xu *Institute for Energy Research, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu Province, China.Abstract: Rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs) havebeen extensively investigated owing to their high powerdensity and environmental friendliness. However, the slowkinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygenevolution reaction (OER) processes limit their practicalapplication. Currently, IrO 2 and RuO 2 are considered theoptimal OER electrocatalysts, and Pt/C is the most effectiveORR electrocatalyst. However, the practical application of Pt,Ir, and Ru in ZABs is severely limited owing to their low naturalabundance and high cost. Therefore, the fabrication ofinexpensive and high-performance bifunctional catalysts is essential for the development of rechargeable ZABs. Transition-metal alloys have a high electrical conductivity and low energy barrier for the reaction of oxygen, and thus they are considered promising ORR electrocatalysts. Transition-metal nitride-transition-metal alloy core-shell nanostructures can be fabricated to improve the bifunctional electrocatalytic activity. In this study, a bifunctional electrocatalyst with Fe 0.64Ni 0.36@Fe 3NiN core-shell structures encapsulated in N-doped carbon nanotubes (Fe 0.64Ni 0.36@Fe 3NiN/NCNT) was designed for highly efficient rechargeable ZABs. Fe 0.64Ni 0.36@Fe 3NiN/NCNT was synthesized by pyrolyzing the nickel-iron-layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) precursor, followed by ammonia etching of the Fe 0.64Ni 0.36 alloy. The core-shell structure produced more ORR/OER active sites. The Fe 0.64Ni 0.36 core exhibited high electrical conductivity, which facilitates charge transfer. The Fe 3NiN shell enhanced the OER performance and improved the bifunctional performance. Moreover, the NCNT structures not only efficiently enhanced the mass transfer efficiency and intrinsic electrical conductivity, but also provided a large electrochemical active surface area. The high anticorrosion property of the Fe 3NiN shell effectively protected the Fe 0.64Ni 0.36 core, which consequently enhanced electrocatalyst stability during the electrochemical processes. The protective carbon layer and the superior chemical stability of the Fe 3NiN shell resulted in the ultrahigh stability of Fe 0.64Ni 0.36@Fe 3NiN/NCNT. The catalyst exhibited an excellent bifunctional oxygen electrocatalytic performance, with a half-wave potential of 0.88 V for the ORR and low OER overpotential of 380 mV at 10 mA ∙cm −2. Moreover, the catalyst exhibited electrochemical stability (92.8% current retention after 8 h). In addition, the Fe 0.64Ni 0.36@Fe 3NiN/NCNT-based ZAB exhibited a higher peak power density (214 mW ·cm −2) than the ZABs based on Pt/C+IrO 2 (155 mW ·cm −2) and Fe 0.64Ni 0.36/NCNT (89 mW ·cm −2). Moreover, the Fe 0.64Ni 0.36@Fe 3NiN/NCNT-based ZAB delivered a high capacity of 781 mAh ·g −1, while the ZABs based on Fe 0.64Ni 0.36/NCNT and Pt/C+IrO 2 reached capacities of 688 and 739 mAh ·g −1, respectively. Furthermore, the Fe 0.64Ni 0.36@Fe 3NiN/NCNT-based ZAB exhibited ultralong cycling stability (cycle life > 1100 h), which exceeded those of Pt/C (50 h) and Fe 0.64Ni 0.36/NCNT (450 h). We propose that this study will facilitate the design of novel catalysts for highly stable and efficient ZABs.Key Words: Bifunctional electrocatalyst; Fe 3NiN; Core-shellstructure; Zinc-air battery; Ultra-long cycle stability物理化学学报 Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin.2024,40 (2), 2304021 (2 of 2)氮掺杂碳纳米管包覆Fe0.64Ni0.36@Fe3NiN核壳结构用于高稳定锌-空气电池蒲晨,邓代洁,李赫楠*,徐丽*江苏大学能源研究院,化学化工学院,江苏镇江 212013摘要:可逆锌-空气电池因其高功率密度和环境友好性而得到了广泛研究。
氮掺杂的碳纳米管分子式
氮掺杂的碳纳米管分子式是N-CNT。
碳纳米管是一种具有优异性能和广泛应用前景的纳米材料。
通过在碳纳米管结构中引入氮原子,可以改变碳纳米管的电子结构和化学性质,进一步拓展其应用领域。
氮掺杂可以通过不同的方法实现,如氨气化学气相沉积、氮气等离子体处理、热解过程中与氮源共存等。
氮原子与碳原子的结合方式可以分为氮化碳和氮酸碳两种形式。
氮化碳是指氮原子取代了碳纳米管的碳原子,可以通过控制氮掺杂的浓度和位置来调控碳纳米管的电学性能。
氮酸碳是指氮原子与碳原子之间形成的化学键连接,可以增加碳纳米管的导电性能和电催化活性。
氮掺杂的碳纳米管具有许多优异性能和应用潜力。
首先,氮掺杂可以调节碳纳米管的电子结构,使其在能带结构和导电性能上有所改善。
其次,氮原子的引入可以增加碳纳米管的活性位点,提高其催化活性,从而应用于电催化、光催化、电化学传感等领域。
此外,氮掺杂还可以增加碳纳米管的化学反应活性,如在氮掺杂的碳纳米管上进行催化反应、吸附等。
总之,氮掺杂的碳纳米管是一种具有潜力的纳米材料,其分子式为N-CNT。
通过氮掺杂可以调控碳纳米管的电子结构和化学性质,进一步增强其性能和拓展其应用领域。
这为碳纳米管在能源、光电子、催化等领域的应用提供了新的可能性。
专利名称:一种氮掺杂MoC/Co/碳纳米管复合材料及其制备方法与应用
专利类型:发明专利
发明人:原长洲,赵国强,刘洋,侯林瑞
申请号:CN202111646895.2
申请日:20211230
公开号:CN114300668A
公开日:
20220408
专利内容由知识产权出版社提供
摘要:本发明公开一种氮掺杂MoxC/Co/碳纳米管复合材料及其制备方法与应用。
所述复合材料包括氮掺杂的二维片状MoxC基体以及原位生长在该基体表面上氮掺杂碳的纳米管组成的三维结构。
本发明的氮掺杂MoxC/Co/碳纳米管复合材料兼具一维碳纳米管和二维片状的形貌结构,不仅保持了二维MXene的催化特性,而且碳纳米管的引入提高了材料的导电性。
另外,本发明的氮掺杂MoxC/Co/碳纳米管复合材料具有大的比表面积,其能够提供更多的多硫化物吸附位点,抑制多硫化物的扩散,从而抑制锂硫电池的“穿梭效应”,显著提高了锂硫电池的能量密度和循环寿命。
申请人:济南大学
地址:250000 山东省济南市南辛庄西路336号
国籍:CN
代理机构:山东知圣律师事务所
代理人:陈辉
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氮掺杂碳纳米管的制备及性质研究氮掺杂碳纳米管(Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes,NCNTs)作为晶体管导电材料、电极催化剂等领域具有广泛的应用前景。
NCNTs与传统碳纳米管相比,其电学性能、导电性及化学反应活性等方面得到了显著提升,便成为研究热点。
本文将对氮掺杂碳纳米管的制备方法及性质进行探究。
1. 氮掺杂碳纳米管制备方法目前,氮掺杂碳纳米管的制备方法主要有以下几种:(1)碳源法碳源法是目前制备NCNTs最常用的方法。
通过在碳源中引入含氮原料,例如尿素、三氯甲基胺等,掺杂到碳纳米管中,就可实现氮掺杂。
同时,还可通过溶胶-凝胶法、水热法等方法,在碳源中掺杂金属催化剂,有助于控制碳纳米管的形貌和尺寸。
(2)VLS法在VLS法中,金属催化剂通过在有机蒸汽中的裂解,使碳纳米管从金属颗粒上成长。
通过在气相中同时加入金属源和含有氮源的化合物,就可获得掺杂氮原子的碳纳米管。
(3)CVD法CVD法是一种利用金属催化剂在高温下,将气态前体分解形成碳纳米管的方法。
在此基础上,掺杂氮元素的方法与碳源法相同,可在反应体系中加入含有氮源的化合物。
2. NCNTs的性质研究(1)电学性能与传统碳纳米管相比,掺杂有少量氮元素的碳纳米管,具有较高的导电性和载流子浓度。
通过对NCNTs进行掺杂和改性等手段,可以调控其电学性能。
例如,不同掺杂比例的碳纳米管在电导率上有着明显的区别。
此外,NCNTs还具有比传统碳纳米管更宽的带隙,这是其在半导体器件领域应用的优势之一。
(2)催化性能NCNTs的催化性能也受到广泛关注。
含氮原子的掺杂使得碳纳米管表面功能团发生改变,增加了纳米管的活性和催化能力。
例如,NCNTs在电极催化剂、有机污染物的氧化降解等领域,有着较高的催化活性和稳定性。
(3)应用前景由于其优越的化学和物理特性,NCNTs在电池、超级电容器、催化剂、传感器等应用领域发挥了重要作用。
近年来,NCNTs还被发现在细胞成像和生物探针等领域使用。
Sulfur e nitrogen doped multi walled carbon nanotubes composite as a cathode material for lithium sulfur batteriesYinchuan Li a ,Rui Mi b ,Shaomin Li b ,Xichuan Liu b ,Wei Ren b ,Hao Liu b ,*,Jun Mei a ,**,Woon-Ming Lau baSchool of Materials Science and Engineering,Southwest University of Science and Technology,Mianyang 621010,PR China bChengdu Green Energy and Green Manufacturing Technology R&D Center,Chengdu Development Center of Science and Technology,China Academy of Engineering Physics,Southwest Airport Economic Development Zone,Shuangliu,Chengdu 610207,PR Chinaa r t i c l e i n f oArticle history:Received 31October 2013Received in revised form 26February 2014Accepted 6April 2014Available online 11May 2014Keywords:Nitrogen doped Carbon nanotubes Lithium e sulfur batteries Sulfur distributiona b s t r a c tThe performance of lithium sulfur (Li/S)battery was greatly improved by the employment of nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs)based cathode.By manipulating its structure thereby creating more defects,N-CNTs presents better dispersion of sulfur particles on N-CNTs and higher electrical conductivity compared with their non-doped counterpart,which explain the reason why N-CNTs/S composite shows improved performance.The specific discharge capacity was maintained at 625mAh g À1and 513mAh g À1after 100cycles at 0.2C and 0.5C,respectively,which was about 2times as that of CNTs.This method is proved to be a promising way to develop cathode materials for lithium sulfur batteries.Copyright ª2014,Hydrogen Energy Publications,LLC.Published by Elsevier Ltd.All rightsreserved.IntroductionThe increasing capabilities of portable electronic devices as well as the desire for long driving distances between re-charges of electric vehicles require electrical energy storage systems with high energy density [1].The Lithium/sulfur (Li/S)battery is an attractive and promising candidate among emerging battery technology.It has attracted great interest aspotential energy storage devices for electrical vehicles and other applications needing large-scale electricity storage [2].Conventional Li/S cells consist of a lithium metal anode,an organic liquid electrolyte,and a sulfur composite cathode [3].Sulfur is useful in the cathode because assuming complete reaction to Li 2S,it has a theoretical specific capacity of 1672mAh g À1,and energy density of 2600Wh Kg À1[4],which is significantly higher than the conventional lithium-ion cathode materials [5].*Corresponding author .Tel.:þ862867076208;fax:þ862867076210.**Corresponding author .Tel.:þ862867076202.E-mail addresses:mliuhao@ (H.Liu),meijun12@ (J.Mei).Available online at ScienceDirectjournal homepage:/locate/hei n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 39(2014)16073e 16080/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.04.0470360-3199/Copyright ª2014,Hydrogen Energy Publications,LLC.Published by Elsevier Ltd.All rights reserved.Although the Li/S battery has considerable advantages when considering the energy density,cost and environmental friendliness,there are many challenges associated with its commercialization[6].For example,the insulating nature of sulfur and its reduced products leads to low utilization of active material,and the intermediate lithium polysulfides (Li2S n,2<n<8)generated during cycling are soluble in the liquid electrolyte,resulting in the loss of active material.In addition,the volume change of sulfur particles during the charging and discharging processes leads to fast aging of the electrodes and a quick fading of the practical specific charge of the battery[7,8].To improve the performance of Li/S battery,researchers have found that using nanostructured sulfur e carbon composite cathodes can considerably improve reversible capacity[9],rate capability[10],and cyclic performance[11]of the battery,as well as the utilization[12]of sulfur in the battery cycle.Recent reports also suggest that carbon nanotubes(CNTs)with high mechani-cal strength,advantageous electrical properties and great chemical stability[13]are regarded as promising conductive materials that could improve the cycling performance of Li e S batteries[14e16].There is a large interface area between the CNTs and the lithium polysulfides,on which the electro-chemical reaction can take place.The three-dimensional network structures with regular pores retard the out-diffusion of the intermediate lithium polysulfides from the cathode[17]. Ahn et al.[18]reported a homogeneous and well dispersed sul-fur/CNTs composite for lithium sulfur batteries,which was synthesized by a simple direct precipitation method.The sulfur/ CNTs composite exhibits excellent performance with high spe-cific capacity and improved cyclic durability.Another research direction is to use nitrogen as a primary avenue for enhancing CNTs properties[19].Previous theoret-ical calculations and experiments show that substituting ni-trogen into sp2carbon structures could enhance their electronic conductivity significantly because the nitrogen atoms provide additional free electrons to the conduction band[20].And doping with nitrogen leads to more disorders through an increase in the number of defects[21].Further electrochemical characterization shows that Li storage per-formance of CNTs is enhanced by nitrogen doping[22]. Although it has been proved that nitrogen enriched meso-porous carbon materials show improved performance in Li e S batteries compared with their non-doped counterpart[23],to the best of our knowledge,there were no studies on the application of N-CNTs in Li e S batteries.Our group did some related works about controlling the structure and morphology of aligned N-CNTs by varying the nitrogen content[24],and found that more defects in the structure would lead to better dispersion of nanoparticles[25].This inspired us to investigate the effect of N-CNTs/sulfur composite cathode on the elec-trochemical properties in Li e S batteries.In this present work,N-CNTs/S composites were proposed as cathode materials for Li e S batteries.Our work demon-strates that nitrogen doping into CNTs not only increases the discharge capacity but also enhances the reversibility in the charge/discharge process.By manipulating its structure thereby creating more defects,N-CNTs promises better dispersion of sulfur particles on N-CNTs and higher electrical conductivity which explain the reason why N-CNTs/S composite show improved performance.Our work thus pro-vides a promising way to develop cathode materials for lithium sulfur batteries.Further research to increase the cycling performance is being carried on in our group.2.Experimental2.1.Preparation of N-CNTsCNTs with diameters of20e30nm were purchased from Chengdu timesnano,China.N-CNTs were synthesized through an injection chemical vapor deposition(CVD)method with a tubular furnace.1g of imidazole(C3H4N2)and150mg of ferrocene(Fe(C5H5)2)were added into20ml of acetonitrile (CH3CN)and the mixture was subsequently ultrasonicated for 5min to obtain a homogeneous solution.Before the furnace was heated,argon(99.999%in purity)was introduced into the quartz tube at aflow rate of500sccm for15min to exhaust the air in the tube.Then the system was heated to950 C at a rate of 30 C/min.Once the furnace reached the desirable tempera-ture,5ml of the solution prepared as above was injected into the tube at a rate of0.5ml/min.Then those gasified droplets were carried into the center of the furnace by the argonflow. After the exhaust of the solution,the furnace was turned off and cooled down to room temperature in theflowing argon gas.2.2.Preparation of sulfur/carbon compositesSublimed sulfur(99.5%)and N-CNTs were dried at60 C for 12h before use.Sublimed sulfur was then mixed with N-CNTs in the weigh ration of2:7.The mixture was ground for uni-formity and then heated at155 C for6h in a quartz tubefilled with argon gas.At this temperature,the melted sulfur has the lowest viscosity and can integrate well with N-CNTs[12].The temperature was then increased to300 C and was main-tained for2.75h to vaporize superfluous sulfur covering the surface of N-CNTs.The sulfur content in the composite, roughly estimated by the weight loss,was60%.For compari-son,the sulfur/CNTs composite with the similar sulfur con-tent was prepared by the same method.2.3.Material characterizationMorphological and structural information were obtained from scanning electron microscopy(SEM,Hitachi S-5200),X-ray diffraction(XRD,D/max2200/PC,Rigaku,40KV,20mA,Cu K a radiation).X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)analysis was collected at a XSAM800spectrometer using mono-chromatized Al K a-radiation at14KV.Raman spectroscopy was performed using a micro-Raman2000system(Renishaw, Britain)with a10mW helium e neon laser excitation source of wavelength633nm.Thermal Gravimetric Analysis(TGA Netzsch STA449C)was carried out under nitrogenflow of 50mL minÀ1with a heating rate of20 C minÀ1.2.4.Electrochemical measurementsThe electrochemical properties of the obtained samples were tested using a two-electrode electrochemical cell.Workingi n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y39(2014)16073e16080 16074electrodes were prepared by casting the slurry homoge-neously on an Al foil as a current collector.The slurry was produced by uniformly mixing the active material(CNTs or N-CNTs,80wt.%on dry solids basis),carbonaceous additive (acetylene black,10wt.%)and a poly vinylidene difluoride (PVDF,10wt.%on dry solids basis)in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP)solvent.The loading of all sample are around 0.45e0.55mg cmÀ2.The electrodes were dried in a vacuum oven at60 C for20h.Lithium foil was used as the counter electrode.The electrolyte was composed of1M lithium bis(-trifluoromethane sulfone)imide(LiTFSI)dissolved in1,3-dioxolane(DOL)/dimethoxy ethane(DME)in a1:1(volume) mixture and Celgard2400microporous polypropylenefilm was used as a separator.The CR-2032-type coin cells were assembled in an argon-filled glove box(moisture and oxygen concentration<0.1ppm).The cells were charged and dis-charged over a voltage range of1.5e2.6V(vs Liþ/Li)at different rates using an Arbin BT-2000Battery Test System.Electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)measurements were performed using CHI760D electrochemical workstation.The impedance spectra were obtained by applying an AC voltage of5.0mV over the frequency range from0.1to100KHz at room temperature.Cyclic voltammetry measurements were carried out on the CHI760D electrochemical workstation over the potential range 1.5e2.6vs.Liþ/Li at a scan rate of 0.1mV sÀ13.Results and discussion3.1.Morphological and nitrogen doping characterizationTypical SEM images of CNTs and N-CNTs are shown in Fig.1. Both samples have uniform distributions in diameters.Thediameter of CNTs and N-CNTs are in the same range.The bamboo-like structure in N-CNTs indicates that nitrogen atoms were introduced into the carbon network[26].Fig.2shows XRD patterns of CNTs and N-CNTs as well as N-CNTs/S composite.Both CNTs and N-CNTs samples exhibita broad(002)diffraction peak at2q around26 and a weak(100)diffraction peak around43 in the hexagonal graphitic carbon structure(Fig.2(a)).Both peaks of N-CNTs slightly shift to lower2q values compared with those of CNTs.The(100) line shift is assigned to the relaxation and distortions caused by the introduction of C e N bond(shorter than C e C bond) within the sp2carbon layer[27].The(002)peak shift was associated with the expansion of the interlayer distance be-tween the two graphitic layers to relax the distortion caused by nitrogen doping in the sp2carbon layer[28].The XRD pat-terns given in Fig.2(b)confirm the nanostructure of the N-CNTs/S.The reflections of the sulfur are consistent with Fddd orthorhombic pared with the pattern of the raw elemental sulfur,the XRD spectrum of the N-CNTs/S did not exhibit many changes except for the appearance N-CNTs peaks(Fig.2(a)),indicating that no phase transformation occurred during heat treatment and the crystal structure of sulfur still remains a Fddd orthorhombic structure.The weight loss of CNTs and N-CNTs after sulfur incorporation was recorded by TGA(Fig.3).The sulfur contents of CNTs/S and N-CNTs/S were around60%.The XPS spectra shown in Fig.4further confirm the incorporation of nitrogen in N-CNTs.A full scan spectrum of N-CNTs is illustrated in Fig.4(a).Three strong peaks at290, 401,and530eV are attributed to C1s,N1s and O1s,respec-tively.The atomic concentration of N can be estimated by the area ratio of N peak to the sum of C and N peaks.In this work, the nitrogen content in N-CNTs is2.34at.%.The position of the main C1s peak at290eV confirms the graphite structure of carbon which corresponds to sp2C e C bond[29,30].Deconvo-lution of the N1s peak was carried out to understand the bonding environment of nitrogen atoms incorporated in N-CNTs.As shown in Fig.4(b),the peak at398.8eV was attrib-uted to the pyridine-like nitrogen which bonds with two sp2 carbons,while the peak at400.9eV could correspond to the graphite-like nitrogen which bonds with three sp2carbons mostly located inside the graphitic carbon plane[31].The peak located at405.1eV could be ascribed to the chemisorbed ni-trogen oxide on the graphite layers[32].3.2.Electrochemical performanceThe cyclic voltammograms(CV)of the CNTs/S and N-CNTs/S composite electrodes are shown in Fig.5(a)and(b).Two reduction peaks are observed from both electrodes.Thefirst peak around2.3V is attributable to the reduction of sulfurto Fig.1e SEM micrographs of(a)pristine CNTs and(b)N-CNTs.i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y39(2014)16073e1608016075lithium polysulfides and the second peak around 2.05V to the reduction of longer-chain polysulfides to lithium sulfides [33].Compared with CNTs/S electrode,the cathodic and anodic peaks of N-CNTs/S electrode show a complete overlappingthrough cycles,suggesting an effective retention of capacity and prevention of the shuttle mechanism [34].Fig.5(c)and (d)show the discharge/charge profiles of CNTs/S and N-CNTs/S electrodes at different current densities.The N-CNTs/S composite-based cells deliver a higher capacity in the initial cycle at 0.1C (168mA g À1),0.2C (336mA g À1),0.5C (840mA g À1),respectively.Cycling performance of N-CNTs/S cathode at 0.2C and 0.5C is presented in Fig.6,together with that of the CNTs/S without nitrogen doping.A reversible capacity of around 625mAh/g was observed after 100cycles of charge and discharge.The discharge capacity at 0.5C also shows good cycling stability,and the reversible capacity was around 513mAh/g after 100cycles.N-CNTs/S electrode also exhibits higher coulombic efficiencies during cycling processes at both rates.Obviously,these results show improved performance in specific capacity as compared to CNTs/S composite.To understand the improvement in Li/S batteries’perfor-mance coming from nitrogen doping,further characterization to CNTs/S and N-CNTs/S composites were carried out.The energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)mapping in Fig.7pre-sents homogenous distribution of sulfur and carbon in the NCNTs/S composite,indicating that sulfur forms highly-dispersed nanoparticle.Fig.3e TGA of CNTs/S and N-CNTs/Scomposites.Fig.4e XPS full scan spectra of CNTs and N-CNTs (a),XPS N1s spectra of N-CNTs(b).Fig.2e XRD patterns of (a)CNTs and N-CNTs including a magnified view in the range of 23e 31 inserted,(b)N-CNTs/S composite.i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 39(2014)16073e 1608016076In addition,Raman spectroscopy was carried out to study the reason why nitrogen doping improved dispersion of sulfur on N-CNTs.Fig.8shows the Raman spectra of CNTs and N-CNTs.Both samples exhibit two obvious peaks at w 1345and w 1570cm À1,corresponding to the D and G bands,respec-tively.The D band denotes the disordered graphite structure,whereas the G band indicates the presence of crystalline graphitic carbon [35].The intensity ratio of D to G bands (I D /I G )is used to evaluate the disorder in carbon materials [36].TheI D /I G ratios of CNTs and N-CNTs are 0.99and 1.16,respectively.The higher I D /I G ratio implies more defects [37]which facilitate the distribution of sulfur on N-CNTs.The impedance spectra of CNTs/S and N-CNTs/S electrodes were analyzed and fitted to the equivalent circuit as shown in Fig.9.In the equivalent circuit,Rs is the total resistance of electrolyte,electrode and separator.Rct and CPE1are the resistance and capacitance of the film formed on the electrode surface,which is related to the formation of SEI.Zw is known as the Warburg resistance and is related to the frequency dependence of ion diffusion/transportation in the electrolyte to the electrode surface [38].The fitting values from the equivalent circuit are presented in Table 1.It is evident that the N-CNTs based electrode has a lower resistance (Rs ¼4.35,Rct ¼13.03)than those of the CNTs based electrode (Rs ¼5.03,Rct ¼14.13).It indicates that the N-CNTs/S electrode pos-sesses faster charge-transfer kinetics [23].Hence,the improved dispersion of S on N-CNTs and the reduced impedance of N-CNTs give rise to higher reversible specific capacity with cycling.4.ConclusionsThe performance of Li/S battery was greatly improved by the employment of N-CNTs based cathode,which was synthesized using an injection CVD method andtheFig.5e Cyclic voltammograms of CNTs/S (a)and N-CNTs/S (b)electrodes at a scan rate of 0.1mV s L 1in a voltage range of 1.5e 2.6V.Initial discharge/charge profiles of CNTs/S (c)and N-CNTs/S (d)electrodes at differentrates.Fig.6e Cycle performance at 0.2C (336mA g L 1)and 0.5C (840mA g L 1)of CNTs/S and N-CNTs/S electrodes.i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 39(2014)16073e 1608016077addition of sulfur by heat treatment.The specific discharge capacity was maintained at 625mAh g À1and 513mAh g À1after 100cycles at 0.2C and 0.5C,respectively,which was about 2times as that of CNTs.This improved performance is attributed to the enhanced electronic conductivity of electrode and more uniform sulfur dispersion on the nanotubes resulting from nitrogen doping,which were proved by reduced resistance examined from EIS and highlydispersed sulfur particles observed from EDS,separately.Although the achieved capacity is not the highest,consid-ering the straightforward composition method of N-CNTs and sulfur,this method is proved to be a promising way to enhance the performance of carbon nanotubes based cathode materials of Li e Sbatteries.Fig.7e EDS mapping of CNTs/S (a)and N-CNTs/S(b).Fig.8e Raman spectra of CNTs andN-CNTs.Fig.9e EIS of CNTs/S and N-CNTs/S electrodes after 30cycles of CV measurements at a 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