title: Direct synthesis of cup-stacked carbon nanofiber microspheres by the catalytic pyrolysis of poly(ethylene glycol).
abstract: Uniformly sized microspheres tangled with cup-stacked carbon nanofibers (CSCNFs) were directly synthesized by the pyrolysis of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with a nickel catalyst. A PEG/Ni membrane was prepared on a silicon wafer surface by heating it to 750 °C at a heating rate of 15 °C min(-1). The wafer was heated to a temperature of 400 °C and was held at that temperature for 1 h before raising the temperature to 750 °C for 10 min to form the CSCNF microspheres. The final CSCNF microspheres and the intermediates were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and Raman spectroscopy to elucidate the growth mechanism. Furthermore, the CSCNF microspheres were successfully dispersed and maintained their spherical shape in an aqueous solution containing 0.5% Nafion. The CSCNF microspheres have the potential to work as a sophisticated carrier with high adsorption and fast electron-transfer exchange properties based on the graphene edges of the nanofiber surface.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Seongjae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Akiyoshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakoda
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Kikuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komori