Carbon nanocomposites have gained huge interest in catalysis due to their small size and shape-dependent physicochemical properties. Particularly, metal nanostructures/carbon materials (mainly graphene and carbon nanotubes) based nanocomposites demonstrated extraordinary catalytic activity in organic reactions. The catalytic products prepared by using carbon nanocomposites are found to be highly valuable in various fields including pharmaceutical, biomedical, agricultural, and material sciences. Hence, the demand of carbon nanocomposites has been increasing rapidly, and the development of novel preparation methods also deserve a special concern. In this chapter, we discuss the main advances in the field over the last few years and explore the novel preparation methods of carbon nanocomposites (metal nanostructures/carbon materials) and their applications in various catalytic organic transformations.
Part of the book: Nanocomposites
Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and its composites have gained vast attention due to its exceptional chemical and textural properties. So far, various multifunctional carbon nanofibers and its composites are developed with highly unique and tunable morphology. In this chapter, we reviewed unique fabrication methods that are recently reported and its characterization techniques such as SEM, FE-SEM, TEM, WAXD, XPS, AFM, and Raman. In addition, catalytic, energy, and environmental applications of carbon nanofiber composites (metals and/or metal oxide nanoparticles incorporated and/or decorated hybrid carbon nanofibers) are discussed. Preparation and characterization of electrospun carbon nanofiber composites and its applications in catalysis and energy storage are the main focus of this chapter.
Part of the book: Electrospinning and Electrospraying