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UPSI Digital Repository (UDRep)
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| Abstract : Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris |
| This study aimed to synthesise carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from waste chicken fat as a carbon precursor and ferrocene as a catalyst. The method used in this study was thermal chemical vapour deposition. Several parametric studies were conducted to optimise the growth of CNTs from waste chicken fat. A new carbon precursor from gutter oil was also explored. The samples were characterised using electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Field emission properties of the selected samples were analysed using field electron emission (FEE) measurements. The findings showed that the oil extracted from the mixture of fat-skin that were chopped into pieces and heated using oven was able to produce a dense vertically aligned CNTs (VACNTs) with small diameter (18.1-31.2 nm) and high crystallinity. Meanwhile, heating rate of 70 °C min-1, synthesis and vaporisation temperature of 800 and 570 °C, respectively, catalyst concentration of 5.33 wt%, synthesis time of 60 minutes and precursor volume of 6 ml were considered as optimum parameters for the production of VACNTs from waste chicken fat, with carbon conversion of 51.94%. The composite of VACNTs with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were also fabricated using sol-gel immersion method in order to enhance their FEE performances. The growth of ZnO nanostructures on VACNTs improved FEE performances significantly as compared to other structures. In conclusion, VACNTs synthesised from waste chicken fat as well as their composite materials with ZnO nanostructures were good candidates to be used in field emission devices such as flat panel display. Implication of the study is that it offers a new innovation in green technology through the production of cheap and high quality VACNTs using the waste chicken fat. |
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