STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE AND SELF SYNTHESIZED CARBON NANOMATERIALS

The element carbon has been used as a source of energy for the past few hundred years, and now in this era of technology, carbon has played a significant and very prominent role in almost all fields of science and technology.   We now live in a world where nanoscale engineering has important applications in a wide range of fields, from everyday life to space technology. Nanoscience and nanotechnology, which deal with the regulation of matter on an atomic and molecular scale, are quickly gaining traction as the most effective technology due to their wide range of possible applications. Among materials at the nanoscale, carbon and its allotropes are found to exhibit interesting properties. For the past few decades, carbon and its various allotropic forms have been a burgeoning and extensively researched area. The revolution that began in 1985 with the discovery of fullerenes continues today with the newly discovered wonder material graphene and has never failed to pique the scientific community's interest.  The interesting characteristic of carbon is its ability to form many allotropes due to its valency. In recent decades, various allotropes and forms of carbon have been invented, including fullerenes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and graphene. So as an honor to this marvelous element, we humans should know about its various forms of existence. In this present work, we shed light on structural studies of commercially available and self-synthesized carbon nanoparticles. A brief introduction is given to the types, structures, and shapes of the allotropes of carbon for a better understanding. The crystallographic structure of the carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) is investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) peak profile analysis. The microstructure is characterized based on crystallite size, interplanar spacing, density, strain, and dislocation density. Raman spectroscopy is particularly well studied to characterize the molecular morphology of CNMs. Polymer-based nanocomposites are gaining attention in various fields of science and technology due to their tunable properties. Finally, polymer nanocomposites of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) doped with different CNMs were prepared by the standard solution cast method. The present work is aimed at the studies of structural properties of different carbon-based nanomaterials. Also, to study the performance of these carbon-based nanomaterials in polymer matrix composites. The summaries of major objectives are as follows: The materials investigated are commercially available and self-synthesized carbon-based nanomaterials. We have presented crystalline allotropes of carbon like graphite and graphene, two hydrocarbons like camphor soot and carbon black also focused on the production of activated carbon from waste materials; industrial (sawdust) and agricultural (coconut shell) as the potential precursors of carbon-based nanomaterials. To characterize the carbon-based nanomaterials by XRD and Raman analysis. Preparation of standalone poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) based {i) graphite ii) graphene & iii) camphor soot} nano-composite using standard solution casting technique. Carbon nanomaterials have found applications in a variety of fields of science and technology, including energy storage and conversion, sensors, drug delivery, field emission detectors and nanoscale electronic components, due to their exceptional physical-chemical properties. Conjugated carbon nanomaterials overlay the areas of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and graphene. CNTs have a significant influence in a variety of fields. The chemistry and control of carbon nanotube properties, as well as the assembly of nanotube products, are still active research areas. CNTs are currently used in structural composite materials, flat-panel displays (FPD), gas and energy storage, antifouling paint, micro-and nanoelectronics radar-absorbing coating technological textile, ultra-capacitors, atomic force microscope (AFM) tip, batteries with increased lifespan, and biosensors, among other applications [1].