Hydrogen Sorption by the Bundles of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes, Irradiated in Various Gas Media

The effect of radioactive irradiation on H2 sorption by bundles of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) has been investigated in various gas media. The samples were irradiated with γ-quanta (1.2 MeV) of 60Co ((1.5–1.7) × 107 rad) radiation at room temperature in deuterium, nitrogen, and oxygen atmosphere (P = 1 atm), and in a vacuum. The processes of H2 sorption and desorption in the SWNT bundles were investigated before and after irradiation in the temperature interval 12–1270 K. It is found that irradiation in a gas environment has a significant effect both on the low-temperature H2 sorption induced by the weak physical interaction, and the chemical H2 sorption by the SWNT bundles. A phenomenological model has been proposed to explain the defect generation in carbon nanotubes irradiated in gas media.