Synthesis of hierarchical carbon nanostructures functionalized with metal nanoparticles

A hierarchical assembly of carbon nanofibers (CNFs), Pd-Sn nanoparticles, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was synthesized based on the template method. The metal particles were first immobilized on the pore walls of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The following pyrolysis of C2H2 in the AAO pores simultaneously formed the arrays of CNTs, which deposited along the AAO pore walls, and a layer of flocculent CNFs, which catalytically grew from the metal particles and attached on the surface of the CNTs. This hierarchical structure supporting bimetallic particles can be applied in the fields of catalysts, fuel cells, chemical sensors, and so forth.