title: Thermal stability of functionalized carbon nanotubes studied by in-situ transmission electron microscopy.
abstract: The thermal stability of funtionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been studied experimentally by direct in-situ observations using a heating stage in a transmission electron microscope, from room temperature (RT) to about 1000 °C. It was found that the thermal stability of the functionalized CNTs was significantly reduced during the in-situ heating process. Their average diameter dramatically expanded from RT to about 500 °C, and then tended to be stable until about 1000 °C. The X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis suggested that the diameter expansion was associated with coalescence of the carbon structure instead of deposition with additional foreign elements during the heating process.
authors.affiliation: Microscopy and Imaging Center and Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2257, USA.
authors.forename: Zhiping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Aderemi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oki
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carson
authors.forename: Luqman
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: Gururaj
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Neelgund
authors.forename: Nathaniel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Soboyejo
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Regisford
authors.forename: Melisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Kemar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hibbert
authors.forename: Gavannie
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Beharie
authors.forename: Cordella
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kelly-Brown
authors.forename: Pasakorn
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Traisawatwong