Carbon nanotube synthesis and detection : limiting the environmental impact of novel technologies
Carbon nanotube synthesis and detection : limiting the environmental impact of novel technologies
Date
2009-06
Authors
Plata, Desiree L.
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DOI
10.1575/1912/2970
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Keywords
Nanotubes
Environmental impact analysis
Environmental impact analysis
Abstract
Driven by commercial promise, the carbon nanotube (CNT) industry is growing rapidly,
yet little is known about the potential environmental impacts of these novel materials. In particular, there are no methods to detect CNTs in environmental matrices (e.g., sediment) and thus, there is no way to study their transport or gauge ecological exposure.
Thermal methods were developed to quantify CNTs in coastal sediments down to 10 ug
per sample, which is sufficient to for CNTs in laboratory air, but not sufficient to measure
contemporary levels of CNTs in the environment (which were estimated to be present at
pg g-1
sediment levels using a dynamic mass balance model). In addition to the CNTs
themselves, potential impacts of CNT production were assessed by monitoring emissions
from a representative synthesis. An ethene-fed chemical vapor deposition process
generated several compounds of environmental concern, including the greenhouse gas,
methane, the hazardous pollutants, benzene and 1,3-butadiene, and toxic polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons. By identifying critical CNT precursors (alkynes), I delivered
these compounds without thermal pre-treatment and achieved rapid CNT growth. This
approach reduced carbonaceous emissions by more than an order of magnitude, and
lowered initial feedstock requirements and energetic demands by at least 20%, without
sacrificing CNT yield.
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Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution June 2009
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Citation
Plata, D. L. (2009). Carbon nanotube synthesis and detection : limiting the environmental impact of novel technologies [Doctoral thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]. Woods Hole Open Access Server. https://doi.org/10.1575/1912/2970