Date of Award
12-2009
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Physics
First Advisor
Migone, Aldo
Abstract
Isotherms of one atom thick film of adsorption for propane on purified Hipco single-walled carbon nanotube were experimentally studied at 6 different temperatures ranging from 190K up to 280K. In these isotherm measurements, two substeps were clearly present at temperatures between 190K and 220K. For propane adsorption, two different groups of binding energy sites on the nanotubes were determined by the outcome. Also, we found that those substeps were gradually smearing as the temperature increases. These features of propane adsorption were compared to the same features that were present for the case of ethane and butane adsorption on the same sample. In comparison, high binding energy sites revealed by low pressure substeps were clearly visible in all the cases. However, the high pressure substep that represents a low binding energy site, external surface site, was smearing as carbon chain length of adsorbed alkanes increase. For the case of butane adsorption, the substep was not pronounced in the alkanes' isotherms at the relative temperatures. We also determined a decrease in the values of specific surface area of the nanotubes and an increase in the values of binding energies of alkanes on the substrate were increased as the sizes and lengths of linear carbon alkanes were increased.
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