Graphitic Nanofibers: A Review of Practical and Potential Applications

Graphitic Nanofibers

A Review of Practical and Potential Applications

Juzer Jangbarwala

CEO, Voltek Energy, Inc., Santa Margarita, CA, United States

Micro & Nano Technologies Series

Table of Contents

Cover image

Title page

Copyright

Dedication

List of Figures

List of Tables

Biography

Foreword

Are we there yet? ....Are we there yet?

Introduction

Chapter One. Brief Overview of Carbon and Its Cousins

Abstract

1.1 Electronic Structure

1.2 The Edge Sites

1.3 Summary

Chapter Two. Review of Carbonaceous Nanomaterials and Graphite

Abstract

2.1 Graphite

2.2 Graphene

2.3 Carbon Nanotubes

2.4 Graphene Oxide

2.5 Graphitic Nanofibers

Chapter Three. Graphitic Nanofibers—The Path to Manufacturing

Abstract

3.1 Catalysts

3.2 Reaction Mechanisms

3.3 Growth Rates of GNs

Chapter Four. Manufacturing

Abstract

4.1 Methane as a Feed Source

4.2 Syngas as a Feed Source

4.3 Production

Chapter Five. Costs of Manufacturing

Abstract

5.1 Carbon Nanotubes

5.2 Graphene Oxide

5.3 Cost Calculations

5.4 Making Graphene

5.5 Calculations for Table 5.1

Chapter Six. Functionalization and In Situ Polymerization

Abstract

6.1 Functionalization

6.2 In Situ Polymerization

Chapter Seven. Applications

Abstract

7.1 Polymer Additives

7.2 Lithium-Ion Batteries

7.3 Catalysis

7.4 Water & Wastewater Treatment

7.5 Gas Purification

7.6 Heat Transfer & Lubrication

7.7 Drilling Fluids (DF)

Summary and Comments

References

Index

Copyright

Elsevier

Radarweg 29, PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, United Kingdom

50 Hampshire Street, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions.

This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).

Notices

Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

ISBN: 978-0-323-51104-9

For Information on all Elsevier publications visit our website at https://www.elsevier.com

Publisher: Matthew Deans

Acquisition Editor: Simon Holt

Editorial Project Manager: Sabrina Webber

Production Project Manager: Kiruthika Govindaraju

Cover Designer: Greg Harris

Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India

Dedication

To my wife Farzana

The center of my universe.

To my sons Mustafa & Ali

An apple for each eye.

To my (late) father Moiz

Confidence is the first step towards success…

Made me an entrepreneur.

To my mother Vaza

Education first! Knowledge guides the soul…

Made me a student for life.

To my (late) father-in-law Shafi-ul-Huq

I believe in you ……

I stood up after many a fall.

To my mother-in-law Shamim

You didn’t have to be born of my womb to be my son….

What can I say?

To my siblings –

They say one doesn’t have a choice……..

I couldn’t have chosen any better.

To my daughter-in-law Dana

Finally! We have a daughter!

To my family & friends

Thank you for putting up with my eccentricities.

To my country America

Not perfect, but by far the best.

List of Figures

List of Tables

Biography

Juzer Jangbarwala, Voltek Energy, Inc., Santa Margarita, CA, United States

Juzer Jangbarwala is currently the CEO of Voltek. His work spans over 35 years, primarily in commercializing innovative technologies. He has established water treatment companies around his own patents and has always been intimately involved with the technical as well as the business aspects of his companies. To commercialize his inventions, he started Catalyx, a technology incubator in 2001, which is when he got involved with graphitic nanofibers. Many of the technologies developed involved graphitic nanofibers either directly or indirectly. He established Voltek in 2015. Among the IP portfolio of Voltek are 5 issued patents and several pending patents utilizing graphitic nanofibers in the fields of water and wastewater treatment, waste to fuels and catalysis. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA and holds more than 20 patents.

Foreword

Cornelius J. Kriek, CEO BOC Edwards Materials & Services (Ret)

I have had the pleasure and honor to work with Juzer for 3 years but have known him as a friend, mentor, and my own personal Wikipedia for 15 years. Juzer is one of those technically gifted individuals that comes along infrequently, with the capacity to disrupt fundamental technical concepts and firmly held scientific dogma. Distinguishing him from the typical innovator and the typical super-specialist is his ability to see the practical implications, the utility, and the commercialized application of a technology or invention. If I was given the challenge to conquer the Universe, Juzer will be my chief technologist, chief engineer, and chief innovator.

Are we there yet? ....Are we there yet?

Like parents, the prolific sensational announcements about prodigious paradigm shifts by graphene and nanotubes obfuscate reality by implying we are almost there. The barrage of information and the engraphic effect forces cognition to take a simpler, faster path and irrational expectations generated by the brain’s System 1 to act without detailed analysis typically carried out by System 2 [1]. No doubt these materials can potentially provide immeasurable benefits for almost all walks of life. But do we have the means to produce these materials within the practical constraints of manufacturing, economics, safety and market acceptance, all in the absence of any benchmarks? Could we achieve these benefits with less glamorous and less headline grabbing materials?

My vexation at the incertitude created by the hype and the implied unrealistic timelines finally motivated me to pen down my thoughts, knowledge, and experience. In Nate Silver’s words, I wanted to attempt to separate the signal from the noise [2] to the best of my ability, and by doing so, hopefully give encouragement to, and inspire creative thought in the next generation of engineers and product development specialists.

Though the subject knowledge does not lend itself to be disseminated in simple language, I have endeavored to present a holistic view in a coherent and easy-to-understand manner getting technical only when necessary. With the underlying assertion that graphitic nanofibers can be manufactured economically, I draw parallels between graphitic nanofibers and published works for graphene, graphene oxide, and a myriad of materials with graphene-bearing names. The field of carbonaceous nanomaterials is vast, and I do not profess to know all the materials in enough depth to include them in this book. I have, in the past, used GNF as an acronym, but have decided to switch to GN to avoid confusion with yet another popular name, graphite nanoflakes (GNF).

To some who know me, I may well be identified as a cynic, certainly with many crotchets. For those readers in the academic circles, some of my innuendos may be misconstrued as an indictment of the field of research and development itself. It is not my intent to belittle fundamental research. Rather, it is to share, without prejudice, this important topic from a different vantage point. It behooves us all to point out the instances when the unspoken, sacred line is crossed by trusted professions for commercial gains [3,4], without regard to accuracy [4,5] especially if there are deleterious effects from such actions [3]. I plan to enjoy the journey and make unabated comments about my view of causes and effects. So I apologize in advance for my unconventional style.

Introduction

This book is meant to be an easy read. I wanted to give the reader a perspective from a different vantage point; a holistic view that encompasses sufficient information on the science, engineering, and economics of an often misunderstood field. It is light in all three disciplines, but hopefully descriptive enough to get the point across, without extensive discussions of any one topic. I like thin books that get to the point, yet are not very esoteric, so I have endeavored to keep this one short and simple.

If the reader desires detailed derivations, mathematical theories, and models, this is not the book, though some are discussed in great detail, when necessary. Neither is it for someone who desires detailed engineering design or Wall Street style financial analyses. It is a simple book from an author with a simple mind, and an average IQ. The ultimate goal is to show how some basic, yet remarkable materials have been ignored because of their lack of complexity and hype potential. In some instances, where not relevant, I expect the reader to find other sources for more detailed historical aspects of discovery, first applications, etc., which is generally covered by most technical articles and books, all too redundantly, in my opinion. Instead, I shall give very brief backgrounds and jump straight into a discussion of the characteristics at hand.

Having said that, the nature of the subject still demands a grasp on the basic physical chemistry concepts if the reader wants to understand my deductions for substitution of graphitic nanofibers (GN) for the more exotic materials. Those who are looking at the gist of things will also be able to achieve their objective by reading the summary following most chapters.

In Chapter 1, Brief Overview of Carbon and Its Cousins, some relevant chemistry and physics is reviewed.

The substitution argument to use GN in place of other exotic materials requires a some understanding of the special role of the electronic structure of elemental carbon, and the presence of reactive sites, and the special role these qualities play at the nano level and make things possible that macro materials cannot.

In Chapter 2, Review of Carbonaceous Nanomaterials and Graphite, having laid out the basics of atomic structure, I will expand on the characteristics of GN as well as those of the other carbonaceous materials starting with graphite, then carbon nanotubes (CNTs), GO, and Graphene.

This chapter will therefore give specific insight into these characteristics and set the stage again, for the comparison between the materials and then the substitution argument to follow.

From Chapter 3, Graphitic Nanofibers—The Path to Manufacturing, I focus on different aspects of GN, presenting the process from start to finish. I will start with various catalysts, followed by a look at the reaction mechanisms driving the formation of nanomaterials. This discussion will give us some insight into factors that may affect design of reactors. I end that chapter with an interesting reference that discusses growth rates to give food for thought for designers.

Chapter 4, Manufacturing, will delve into the synthesis of GN.

Different types of commercially operating reactors and designs will be discussed in relevant detail. Nanomaterials have raised questions about health effects. Since health concerns are mostly based on manufacturing environments, health effects about nanomaterials, concerns, and status are also covered in this chapter.

In Chapter 5, Costs of Manufacturing, I present a detailed look at the cost of manufacturing CNTs, GO, and GN and derive a comparison table. The cost derivation follows a real-world business approach to determine costs incurred by manufacturers. With the costs established for each material, economic viability will be determined for some applications promoted currently, sometimes with just a back of the napkin calculation.

Chapter 6, Functionalization and In Situ Polymerization, is a prelude to our discussion of applications, with some thought given to the functionalization of GN, and the possibility that GN being viable in many types of in situ polymerization reactions, where the other famous materials do not appear realistic for use by industry, especially due to their costs.

Chapter 7, Applications, will be dedicated to a few applications that I feel practical to consider today, if GN were to be substituted for graphene, graphene oxide, and other materials.

Lithium–ion batteries, catalysis, water and wastewater treatment, gas purification, heat transfer, lubrication and drilling fluids are discussed with this objective in mind.

Finally, I will attempt to summarize the material covered in the book, and some thoughts and opinions.

I hope this book provides some guidance to the curious minds with a simple but comprehensive view of the path to commercialization and what can be possible in the near future. I reiterate. It is important for the reader to understand the intent of this book, which is to provide tools for and to encourage novelty, cross-pollination, and original thought to further the use of nanomaterials in industry. It is not a technology recipe book, neither is it an attempt to