Effective synthesis of surface-modified boron nitride nanotubes and related nanostructures and their hydrogen uptake

The present study is focused on the synthesis of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) with an entirely modified surface structure. We succeeded in the BNNT surface modification by using highly reactive SO2 gas generated in-situ during the tube synthesis. The obtained BNNTs have a high surface area, which is significantly larger than that of standard well-structured BNNT. Therefore, the synthesized nanomaterial is advantageous for the gas adsorption and could be envisaged as a prospective hydrogen-storage material. Herein we report on the preliminary results of the hydrogen accumulation experimental runs. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.