Study of the Synthesis Conditions of Carbon Nanocoils for Energetic Applications

The synthesis of carbon nanocoils (CNCs) by the catalytic graphitization of composites has been studied. Resorcinol−formaldehyde gel was used as the carbon precursor; a mixture of cobalt and nickel salts was used as the graphitization catalysts in the synthesis; and silica sol was added to the reaction mixture to obtain carbon materials with high specific surface area and to achieve a good dispersion of the transition-metal nanoparticles. Different molar ratios of the reagents were used with the purpose of obtaining carbon materials with different structural and textural properties, seeking a compromise between the graphitization degree and surface area. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO), N 2 physisorption, and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) were used to characterize the morphology, textural properties, and surface chemistry of such materials. Results showed that obtained CNCs had good crystallinity and well-defined porosity, which depended upon the preparation conditions.