Carbon Nanotubes Containing Confined Copper Azide

Abstract

The invention concerns copper azide containing carbon nanotubes. The invention also concerns methods of producing such nanotubes by placing CuO nanoparticles within carbon nanotubes to produce CuO-containing carbon nanotubes, contacting CuO-containing carbon nanotubes with hydrogen to produce reduced nanotubes; and contacting the reduced nanotubes with hydrazoic acid to produce copper azide containing carbon nanotubes.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A composition comprising carbon nanotubes and, residing within at least a majority of said nanotubes, copper azide. 
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein said carbon nanotubes have internal diameters of 100-300 nm. 
     
     
         3 . A method of forming nanotube structures comprising:
 placing CuO nanoparticles within carbon nanotubes to produce packed nanotubes;   contacting said packed nanotubes with hydrogen to produce reduced packed nanotubes; and   contacting the reduced packed nanotubes with hydrazoic acid to produce copper azide containing carbon nanotubes.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the hydrazoic acid was produced in gaseous form by heating a mixture of sodium azide with excess stearic acid at a temperature of at least 80° C. 
     
     
         5 . A method of forming nanotube structures comprising:
 forming carbon nanotube by chemical vapor deposition of ethylene on an aluminum oxide substrate;   placing CuO nanoparticles within said carbon nanotubes to produce packed nanotubes;   contacting said packed nanotubes with sodium hydroxide to dissolve said aluminum oxide to produce released nanotubes;   contacting the released carbon nanotubes with hydrogen to produce reduced packed nanotubes; and   contacting the reduced packed nanotubes with hydrazoic acid to produce copper azide containing carbon nanotubes.