Solid-state NMR and EPR study of fluorinated carbon nanofibers

Carbon nanofibers were fluorinated in two manners, in pure fluorine gas (direct fluorination) and with a fluorinating agent (TbF4 during the so-called controlled fluorination). The resulting fluorinated nanofibers have been investigated by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). This underlines that the fluorination mechanisms differ since a (CF)(n) structural type is obtained, whatever the temperature, with the controlled reaction, whereas, during the direct process, a (C2F)(n) type is formed over a wide temperature range. Through a careful characterization of the products, i.e. density of dangling bonds (as internal paramagnetic centers), structural type (acting on molecular motion) and specific surface area (related to the amount of physisorbed O-2), the effect of atmospheric oxygen molecules on the spin-lattice nuclear relaxation has been underlined. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Inc.