Zwitterionic surfactant assisted fabrication of mesoporous silica coated carbon nanotubes for organic pollutants

Abstract

A phospholipid surfactant was used to coat carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with mesoporous silica (m-silica), in which the pore characteristics can be well controlled by varying the ratio of phospholipids and other traditional surfactants (cationic, anionic and nonionic surfactants). Based on the analysis of the interaction between phosphatidylcholines and other surfactants, the mechanism of the m-silica/CNTs formation was investigated. After calcination in an inert atmosphere, the m-silica/CNTs exhibited high specific surface areas and the pore sizes were tunable by varying the experimental parameters. Importantly, the as-prepared m-silica/CNTs were found to be an effective adsorbent for organic pollutants.