Effect of doping levels on the pore structure of carbon nanotube/silica xerogel composites

This letter reports the effect of CNT doping levels on the pore structure of carbon nanotube (CNT)/silica xerogel composites, which would greatly influence the composite's physical behaviors and their applications in the field of optics. The composites were prepared by sol–gel technique and carried out pore structure analysis. The results show that there are mainly two grades of pores, centering at 8 and 15 nm respectively, that existed in the structure. The relative ratio of the two-grade pores, also BET surface area and pore volume of the composites, change with the different CNT doping levels. The reason may be that the addition of CNTs can act as inhomogeneous crystalline sources, seduce the silica xerogel network to grow around them and therefore change the gel formation process of silica granules.