Buckypapers of functionalized nanotubes for liquid-solid extraction
Nicolle Jimmy1, Cambedouzou Julien1, Kaper Helena1,2, Grandjean Agnès1
1
Institut de Chimie Séparative de Marcoule, UMR 5257 CEA/CNRS/UM2/ENSCM, BP
17171, F-30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France.
2
Laboratoire de Synthèse et Caractérisation des Céramiques, UMR 3080 Saint
Gobain/CNRS, F-84306 Cavaillon, France.
Jimmy.nicolle@cea.fr
Liquid-solid extraction of radioactive ions is an attractive approach in order to clean
wastewaters in continuous processes. One of the main limitations of the use of solid matrixes
for such applications is their sustainability in aggressive media such as concentrated acids of
bases. Pure carbon materials, especially carbon nanotubes, benefit from interesting properties
that makes them good candidates for this application.
Carbon nanotubes are indeed characterized by high mechanical resistance, large specific
surface (̴ 470 m2 / g), and a good chemical resistivity under basic or acid conditions.
Furthermore, nanotubes can be grafted with specific extracting molecules adapted to the
targeted ion, and can be designed as membrane-like buckypapers for application in industrial
processes as in a filtration column.
We propose here a new method for carbon nanotube functionalization by Diels Alder reaction
using ultra-sonic and thermal treatment (Figure 1-(a)). The obtained functionalized nanotubes
are designed in a buckypaper form, and characterized by TGA and Raman spectroscopy
(Figure 1-(b)). We demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy allows determining qualitatively and
also quantitatively the functionalization rate and the results are in good agreements with the
TGA measurements.
Finally, the buckypaper has been used in a liquid-solid extraction process, using CsNO3. A
promising extraction rate of 100 mg of Cesium for 1 g of functionalized carbon nanotubes is
found.
(a)
(b)
Figure 1 (a) Example of single wall carbon nanotubes functionalized by Diels Alder reaction. (b) TGA
measurements of single wall carbon nanotubes buckypaper functionalized with DMAD (black curve) and
propargylamine (red curve)
Symposium: E3.IV Materials for nuclear application.