Microwave-synthesized freestanding iron-carbon nanotubes on polyester composites of woven Kevlar fibre and silver nanoparticle-decorated graphene

We synthesized Ag nanoparticle-decorated multilayered graphene nanosheets (Ag-graphene) from graphite nanoplatelets and silver nitrate through 90-100 s of microwave exposure, without the use of any mineral acids or harsh reducing agents. Fe nanoparticle-decorated carbon nanotubes (Fe-CNTs) were grown on polypyrrole (PPy) deposited on woven Kevlar fibre (WKF), using ferrocene as a catalyst, under microwave irradiation. Fe-CNTs grown on WKF and Ag-graphene dispersed in polyester resin (PES) were combined to fabricate Ag-graphene/Fe-CNT/PPy-coated WKF/PES composites by vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding. The combined effect of Fe-CNTs and Ag-graphene in the resulting composites resulted in a remarkable enhancement of tensile properties (a 192.56% increase in strength and 100.64% increase in modulus) as well as impact resistance (a 116.33% increase). The electrical conductivity significantly increased for Ag-graphene/Fe-CNT/PPy-coated WKF/PES composites. The effectiveness of electromagnetic interference shielding, which relies strongly on the Ag-graphene content in the composites, was 25 times higher in Ag-graphene/Fe-CNT/PPy-coated WKF/PES than in neat WKF/PES composites. The current work offers a novel route for fabricating highly promising, cost effective WKF/PES composites through microwave-assisted synthesis of Fe-CNTs and Ag-graphene.ope

Adsorption

Removing of wastewater pollutants by novel adsorption techniques is urgent as they are continuously defiling the limited freshwater resources, seriously affecting the terrestrial, ecosystems, aquatic, and aerial flora and fauna. Emerging carbon nanotube (CNT)-based adsorbent materials are effective for efficient handling of wastewater pollutants. This chapter describes the mechanisms of CNT, and its forces to host the wastewater pollutants. Such details would help to considerably improve the performance of classical adsorbent technologies. Additionally, the functionalization of CNT and adsorption isotherms are considered as they have been significantly used for achieving maximum adsorption capacity and disclosing the adsorption phenomena of CNT, respectively. Some multifunctional CNT-based adsorbent are also discussed with reusability phenomena which need to be addressed before large-scale implementation of CNTs for water purification. Some suggestions and research clues are given to inform investigators of potentially disruptive CNT technologies and/or optimize the CNT sorption performances that have to be investigated in more detail