Coupling of nickel nanoparticles with carbon nanotubes fibers: a new concept towards multifunctional devices

It is reported the fabrication of multifunctional devices based on fibers, formed by highly aligned single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), decorated by Ni nanoparticles. The electrochemical and gas sensing properties of such innovative hybrid nanosystems have been tested in view of several different technological applications. The ability of the SWCNT-based fibers to act as an electrode substrate for the electrodeposition of nickel nanoparticles has been evaluated. The fast and efficient growth of Ni clusters on SWCNT fibers is found to drive the formation of hybrid metal-carbon nanostructures with a high manageability and a wide potential field of application.