A three-dimensional carbon nanotube network for water treatment

The bulk synthesis of free-standing carbon nanotube (CNT) frameworks is developed through a sulfur-addition strategy during an ambient pressure chemical vapour deposition process, with ferrocene used as the catalyst precursor. This approach enhances the CNTs’ length and contorted morphology, which are the key features leading to the formation of the synthesized porous networks. We demonstrate that such a three dimensional structure selectively uptakes from water a mass of toxic organic solvent (i.e. odichlorobenzene) about 3.5 times higher than that absorbed by individual CNTs. In addition, owing to the presence of highly defective nanostructures constituting them, our samples exhibit an oilabsorption capacity higher than that reported in the literature for similar CNT sponges.