Stability of ion implanted single-walled carbon nanotubes: Thermogravimetric and Raman analysis

In this work, the effect of different ions (hydrogen, helium, and neon) implanted on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) is being analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman scattering, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The TGA result shows that the temperature for maximum decomposition rate (T(max)) increases at relatively low doses, i.e., by about 30 degrees C after hydrogen ion implantation (at the ion dose of 10(15) cm(-2)), 17 degrees C after helium ion implantation (at the ion dose of 10(13) cm(-2)), and contributes no significant enhancement after neon implantation for all doses. The increase of T(max) indicates that small mass ion can be utilized to improve the thermal-oxidative stability of SWNTs. Raman scattering and XPS were used to monitor the lattice damage from ion implantation and chemical bonding states of the materials. The results indicated the material rigidity for low doses of hydrogen and helium, while the application of higher doses of neon caused the material to transform towards amorphous carbon (a-C). (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.