We describe general considerations about the present and the future standing of carbon nanostructures, mainly carbon nanotubes and graphene. Basic concepts and definitions, select structure/property relationships, and potential applications are reviewed. The analysis of the global market for these nanostructures, the commercial products available currently, the role of the chemistry, the main challenges remaining and a brief view of the field in Brazil are also presented and discussed.

O efeito de cinco diferentes tratamentos químicos (HNO3, H2SO4, H2O2, HNO3 + H2SO4 e HNO3 + HCl) na homogeneidade, superfície, estrutura e dispersabilidade em água de nanotubos de carbono do tipo multi-paredes preenchidos com ferro ou óxido de ferro foi estudado através de difratometria de raios X (XRD), espectroscopias Raman, UV-Visível e fotoeletrônica de raios X (XPS), análise termogravimétrica (TG) e microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Os resultados indicaram que os tratamentos são efetivos na remoção de espécies carbonáceas diferentes de nanotubos, presentes na amostra. Com exceção do tratamento com H2O2, uma boa remoção das espécies contendo metal também foi observada. Além de aumentar a homogeneidade das amostras, os tratamentos também criam grupos carboxílicos e hidroxílicos superficiais, que afetam diretamente a dispersabilidade destas espécies em água. Dispersões estáveis de 2,24 × 10-1 g L-1 de nanotubos em água foram obtidas após o tratamento com mistura de ácido sulfúrico e ácido nítrico.

The effect of five different chemical treatments (HNO3, H2SO4, H2O2, HNO3 + H2SO4 and HNO3 + HCl) on the homogeneity, surface chemistry, structure and dispersibility in water of iron- and iron oxide-filled multi-walled carbon nanotube samples was evaluated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Raman, UV-Visible and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that the chemical treatments are generally effective in removing non-nanotube carbonaceous species present in the sample. With the exception of the H2O2 treatment, the chemical treatments also offer good removal of free iron-species. Besides the increase in the sample homogeneity, the chemical treatments promoted an increase in the carboxyl and hydroxyl groups at the carbon nanotube surface, what directly affects the dispersibility of these carbon nanotubes in water. Dispersions of 2.24 × 10-1 g L-1 were obtained for the treated samples with a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid.