Carbon nanotubes hybridized with titania has been used as catalyst support for polymer electrolyte fuel cells and also for photocatalytic degradation of contaminants.  However, impact of such hybridization on nanotube environmental fate is unknown.  This work evaluates and compares the aggregation kinetics of oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotube (O-MWNT) with and without hybridization.  Time-resolved dynamic light scattering (TRDLS) was employed to systematically evaluate aggregation kinetics of O-MWCNT, titania added O-MWNT (O-MWNT-TiO2), and platinum doped titania added O-MWNT (O-MWNT-Pt-TiO2).  Environmentally relevant concentrations of mon-and di-valent cations (Na+ and Ca2+) and Suwanee River humic acid (SRHA) were used to evaluate the role of background chemistry.  Both singular and hybridized samples showed typical DLVO type behavior.  However, the O-MWNT-Pt-TiO2s and O-MWNT-TiO2s exhibited different stability compared to O-MWNTs as demonstrated by their critical coagulation concentrations (CCCs).  SRHA enhanced stability for all the samples, likely due to steric stabilization.  These results highlight the importance of systematically studying nanohybrid environmental behavior.

Hybridization with titania change aggregation kinetics of carbon nanotubes

247th National Meeting (2014)

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