MECARTUBES · IN-SITU FILLING OF CARBON NANOTUBES WITH METALS

Metal-filled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted intense attention in recent years especially with view to applications in biomedicine such as drug delivery systems. This project concerns the development of in-situ filling CNTs with metals. Different magnetic metals such as Fe, Co, Ni and their alloys will be encapsulated in the inner cavity of the CNTs during growth. In order to achieve this objective, novel carbon vapor deposition experiments for the continuous process of filling CNTs will be explored. The methods proposed have the advantage that the growth and filling of the nanotubes take place simultaneously. The transition from lab to a large scale production will be explored. They will be based on the pyrolysis of metal-organic compounds and catalytic pyrolysis varying catalyst concentration in conjuction with filling facilitating compounds. The influence of the processing parameters (i.e deposition time, reaction temperature or influence of the catalyst particles) on the structure and magnetic properties will be studied in order to elucidate important parameters for the controlled mechanism formation and encapsulation of metallic particles. Structural and chemical analysis of metal-filled CNTs will be carried out by means of scanning and transmision electron microscopy, electron energy-loss spectroscopy or raman spectroscopy. Magnetic properties will be also evaluated.Functionalization of CNTs is the precondition for their application in medicine. In this project, functionalization of the surface of filled-CNTs will be explored mainly by covalent functionalizations through oxidation with strong acids and employing the 1,3 dipolar-cycloaddition mechanism. As part of the last activity of the research, the project will overcome preliminary tests about the binding of therapeutic molecules with some kind of pharmacological activity for the treatment of complex diseases where activity is required at specific sites in the human body.""