Solvothermal / hydrothermal manufacturing of carbon nanotubes for hydrogen storage: A comparative study

Abstract

Investigation on the manufacturing of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by solvothermal and hydrothermal procedure and the electrochemical behavior of these nanostructured electrode materials for hydrogen storage has been presented. The physical and morphological properties of prepared carbon nanotubes were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning, and Transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). Furthermore, the electrochemical properties of MWCNTs were revealed by galvanostatic charge-discharge and measurement of cyclic voltammetry and the results revealed that both MWNTs exhibited higher electrochemical capacitance and stable cycling performance. Interestingly, MWNTs synthesized from hydrothermal procedure shows an extreme discharge capacity of 423 mAh/g, concerning hydrogen storage of ∼ 1.5 wt%, and MWNTs synthesized from solvothermal procedure shows a capacity of discharge 394.8 mAh/g. corresponds to ∼ 1.4 wt%, was attained reproducibly at 25 °C for about 100 mg of MWCNTs. This outcome infers that the MWNTs are extremely assuring electrochemical hydrogen storage materials for PEM fuel cells and rechargeable batteries.