Facile preparation of carbon nanotube hybrid materials by catalyst solutions

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to methods of making a carbon nanotube hybrid material by depositing a catalyst solution onto a carbon-based material, and growing carbon nanotubes on the carbon-based material such that the grown carbon nanotubes become covalently linked to the carbon-based material through carbon-carbon bonds. The catalyst solution includes a metal component (e.g., iron) and a buffer component (e.g., aluminum) that may be in the form of particles. The metal component of the particle may be in the form of a metallic core or metallic oxide core while the buffer component may be on a surface of the metal component in the form of metal or metal oxides. Further embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to the catalytic particles and carbon nanotube hybrid materials. The carbon nanotube hybrid materials of the present disclosure may be incorporated as electrodes (e.g., anodes or cathodes) in energy storage devices.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 84 . (canceled) 
     
     
         85 . A method comprising:
 providing a substrate having a carbon surface;   wetting the carbon surface with a catalyst solution having:
 a liquid; and 
 catalyst particles in the liquid, each catalyst particle including:
 a metal component; and 
 a buffer component associated with the metal component; 
 
   applying a carbon source on the carbon surface; and   growing carbon nanotubes on the carbon surface,
 wherein the grown carbon nanotubes form ohmic contacts with the carbon surface. 
   
     
     
         86 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein the metal component consists essentially of iron. 
     
     
         87 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein the metal component comprises a metal oxide. 
     
     
         88 . The method of  claim 85 , the buffer component comprising buffer particles. 
     
     
         89 . The method of  claim 85 , the buffer component comprising at least one of aluminum and aluminum oxide. 
     
     
         90 . The method of  claim 85 , the buffer component comprising amorphous aluminum oxide. 
     
     
         91 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein the metal component is in the form of a catalytic particle core of at least one of a metal and an oxide of the metal, and wherein the buffer component is in the form of a buffer layer on a surface of the catalytic particle core of the oxide of the metal. 
     
     
         92 . The method of  claim 85 , the buffer component comprising clusters of buffer particles. 
     
     
         93 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein the metal component consists essentially of iron oxide and the buffer component consists essentially of aluminum-oxide particles. 
     
     
         94 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein a molar ratio of the metal component to the buffer component is 1:1. 
     
     
         95 . The method of  claim 85 , further comprising an organic passivation layer on a surface of the catalyst particles. 
     
     
         96 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein the carbon surface is porous. 
     
     
         97 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein the substrate comprises a porous metal. 
     
     
         98 . The method of  claim 85 , the metal component comprising an oxide of a metal, the method further comprising heating the wetted carbon surface to convert the oxide of the metal to the metal. 
     
     
         99 . The method of  claim 98 , the buffer component comprising AlO x , the method further comprising heating the wetted carbon surface to convert the AlO x  to Al 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         100 . An energy-storage device comprising:
 a carbon-based material having a non-planar surface; and   carbon nanotubes extending from and covalently linked to the carbon-based material through carbon-carbon bonds.   
     
     
         101 . The energy-storage device of  claim 100 , wherein the non-planar surface is curved. 
     
     
         102 . The energy-storage device of  claim 100 , wherein the non-planar surface is three-dimensional. 
     
     
         103 . The energy-storage device of  claim 102 , wherein the non-planar surface comprises paper. 
     
     
         104 . The energy-storage device of  claim 103 , wherein the paper comprises at least one of carbon fibers and carbon nanoribbons. 
     
     
         105 . The energy-storage device of  claim 100 , further comprising a metal underlying the carbon-based material. 
     
     
         106 . The energy-storage device of  claim 105 , wherein the metal comprises a foil. 
     
     
         107 . The energy-storage device of  claim 105 , wherein the carbon-based material comprises graphene. 
     
     
         108 . The energy-storage device of  claim 107 , wherein the graphene is covalently bonded to the metal. 
     
     
         109 . The energy-storage device of  claim 100 , further comprising a cathode, wherein the carbon-based material and the carbon nanotubes are utilized as an anode. 
     
     
         110 . The energy-storage device of  claim 109 , wherein the anode has a capacity of at least 500 mAh/g. 
     
     
         111 . The energy-storage device of  claim 100 , wherein the carbon-based material is selected from the group consisting of two-dimensional carbon-based materials, three-dimensional carbon-based materials, carbon fibers, carbon fiber papers, graphene nanoribbons, graphene ribbons, carbon films, graphene films, graphite, bucky papers, fullerenes, graphene papers, graphene nanoplatelets, graphene quantum dots, graphene oxides, reduced graphene oxides, asphalt, asphalt-derived carbons, activated charcoal, coal, anthracite, bituminous coal, diamonds, nanodiamonds, functionalized carbon-based materials, porous carbons, composites thereof, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         112 . The energy-storage device of  claim 100 , wherein the carbon-based material comprises graphene nanoribbons. 
     
     
         113 . The energy-storage device of  claim 112 , wherein the graphene nanoribbons are selected from the group consisting of unfunctionalized graphene nanoribbons, pristine graphene nanoribbons, doped graphene nanoribbons, functionalized graphene nanoribbons, edge functionalized graphene nanoribbons, graphene oxide nanoribbons, reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons, single-layer graphene nanoribbons, few-layer graphene nanoribbons, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         114 . The energy-storage device of  claim 100 , wherein the carbon nanotubes have a surface area of more than 2,000 m 2 /g.