ABSTRACT
Recent research has demonstrated that Janus nanoparticles provide a novel strategy to prepare catalysts and biomaterials. This is because of the versatility of being able to modify both sides of a particle with different properties. Carbon nano-onions are an excellent material as a support for different applications such as metal nanoparticles due to their unique structure and good conductivity. Because of their physical and chemical properties, carbon nano-onions are an ideal material to create Janus nanoparticles for further amphiphillic modifications. This article aims to show a preparatory process to ensure the removal of paraffin efficiently. The main method to be able to create these particles is employing the Pickering emulsion process. Paraffin wax is used as the hydrophobic part of this mixture and serves to block one side of the CNOs to facilitate their modification only on one side. Therefore, its removal is essential to obtain this catalytic nanoparticle.
ABSTRACT
The main source of energy in the world is fossil fuels, but these can irreparably harm the environment. My research focuses on making a catalyst that is economical, efficient, and environmentally friendly. The oxygen reduction reaction is an important reaction for energy conversion systems, such as fuel cells. Onion-like carbon nanoparticles are used as a catalytic support for fuel cell applications due to its high conductivity and surface-to-volume ratio. The combination of carbon compounds with conductive polymers results in new materials and devices with possible practical applications. In my research we obtain onion-like carbon from nanodiamonds through a pyrolysis process. These particles are then polymerized using the aniline monomer to dope the OLCs with nitrogen. These particles are characterized by different characterization techniques such as Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. After characterizing them, electrochemical experiments were carried out.
