Single Step Synthesis of Ge-Fe Nanowires within Multiwalled
Carbon Nanotubes
1, 2
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Arumugam Pandurangan *, Dali Qian , Rodney Andrews and Mark Crocker
1
Center for Applied Energy Research, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40511, U.S.A.
2
Institute of Catalysis& Peroleum Technology, Anna University Chennai, Chennai-600025,
TN, India
*E-mail: pandurangan_a@yahoo.com
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Energy (kv)
This abstract reports an approach for the synthesis of Ge-Fe nanowires within multiwalled
carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). A one-step process is used, employing a floating catalytic
chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, and phenyltrimethyl germanium, pyridine and
ferrocene as precursor materials. As revealed by TEM, materials prepared at a reaction
temperature of 800°C are pure MWCNTs and possess crystalline cores composed of a Ge-Fe
alloy. The outer diameter of typical Ge-Fe filled MWCNTs lies in the 40-70 nm range, while
the inner diameter, corresponding to Ge-Fe nanowires, is 10-15 nm. Ge incorporation in the
graphene sheets of the MWCNTs is not observed according to EDS analysis