UPSI Digital Repository (UDRep)
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UPSI Digital Repository (UDRep)
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| Abstract : Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris |
| This study aimed to synthesize carbon nanostructured materials from waste engine oil (WEO) as a carbon source and ferrocene as a catalyst. The method used in this study was thermal chemical vapor deposition. Several parametric studies were conducted in order to optimize the production of carbon materials from WEO. The parameters were synthesis temperatures, catalyst concentrations, precursor temperatures and volumes, synthesis times and different types of WEO. The samples were characterized using electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Electrical and field emission properties of the selected samples were analyzed using four-point probe and field electron emission (FEE) measurements. The findings showed that two different structures of carbon materials namely carbon spheres (CS) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were succesfully synthesized from WEO. High density CS were produced from 3 ml of WEO mixed with 5.33 weight percent catalyst at precursor and synthesis temperatures of 450 and 800 °C, respectively. Dense quasi-aligned CNTs were also obtained from 4 ml of precursor using 17.99 weight percent catalyst at precursor and synthesis temperature of 500 and 750 °C, respectively. The composite of carbon materials with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were also fabricated using sol-gel immersion method in order to enhance their FEE performances. The growth of CNTs on ZnO nanostructures gave the best FEE performances as compared to other structures. As a conclusion, carbon materials synthesized from WEO as well as their composite materials with ZnO nanostructures were good candidates to be used in electron emission devices. Implication of the study is that it offers an environmentally friendly and economically beneficial approach for the production of carbon nanostructured materials. |
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