Heteroatoms-doped carbon nanotubes for energy applications

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be doped or intercalated with nonmetal heteroatoms, metal atoms or metal clusters to act as electron donors or acceptors, analogous to conjugated polymers and graphene. The doped CNTs reveal favorable features including tuned electrical conductivity, more elastic electron conduction, better mechanical stability, and cyclability. The exceptionally high surface area of CNTs, combined with their selective enrichment of electronic properties is advantageous in determining their corresponding applications in sustainable energy conversion and storage sectors. Functionalization of CNTs can be done through the introduction of heteroatoms into the CNTs graphene surface layers to modify their electronic structure. Substitutional doping of CNTs with heteroatoms is an excellent strategy to promote their electrocatalytic properties and provide manipulation of pathways for efficient electron transfer processes. Moreover, heteroatom doping improves not only the electrical conductivity of CNTs but also their chemical affinity and wettability, allowing them to be used extensively in electrocatalytic reactions due to their excellent conductivity and tunable multifunctionality.With these considerations, great advances in functional heteroatoms-doped CNTs continue to be made with the goal of costeffective, easily processed, and environmentally friendly pathways on the rise. The present chapter addresses versatile dopant introduced into CNTs and the changes to their properties and potential applications. The recent developments in the use of CNTs-based electrode materials in the next generation energy conversion and storage technologies are discussed along with some promising experimental studies. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022. All rights reserved.