Abstract:
Carbon nanospheres (CNSs) are one of the groups of carbon nanotubes formed as a by-product in the manufacture of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). CNSs have a size between 50 nm to 1 µm and can be empty or filled balls. CNSs have dangling bonds that cause their reactive properties. CNSs are widely studied as catalyst supports, adsorbents, or battery and supercapacitor electrodes. This study synthesised CNSs using activated carbon (AC) support. The iron catalyst was derived from ferrocene, Fe(C5H5)2. Meanwhile, cooking oil was used as a carbon source to form CNSs. The cooking oil, catalyst, and activated carbon mixture were then carbonised using an electrical furnace at 700oC for 1 hour with a nitrogen atmosphere. In this experiment, the initial catalyst concentration was varied from 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10g catalyst/100 ml cooking oil, with the ratio of activated carbon to cooking oil 1:3 (w/w)—product characterisation using XRD, BET surface area analysis, Raman spectroscopy, EDS, and XPS. The surface morphology of activated carbon was observed by SEM and TEM analysis, and the results showed that from the synthesis carried out, CNSs were formed, composed of C (002) and C (100). It can also be observed that the larger the catalyst used, the more CNSs were formed. As the amount of catalyst increased, the iron and oxygen content in the sample was also observed by EDS measurements; based on XPS analysis, there was no change in the composition of functional groups on the surface of AC. A decrease in the surface area of AC was observed in each sample, with a maximum reduction of 50%. This resulted in a decrease in the adsorption capacity when used as an adsorbent. Its performance was stable when the 2.5g/100mL sample was tested by cyclic voltammetry as a lithium battery anode.
key words: activated carbon, iron catalyst, cooking oil, CNSs
