Electrochemical Synthesis of Carbon Nanostructures: From Synthesis Methods to Applications

Nanotechnology has become a massive developing field due to its vital range of applications in different areas of science as well as technology. Nowadays nanomaterials are gaining greater interest and eminence in various fields like energy, environment, biomedical, catalysis, and sensors due to their enhanced properties superior than bulk materials. Numerous methods have been adopted for the synthesis of nanomaterials such as physical, chemical, and biological processes. The commonly used methods are sol gel, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), hydrothermal, microwave, electrochemical, green synthesis, etc. which are falls under the major category of top-down and bottom-up processes. Among these, electrochemical techniques received greater attention due to its versatility and cleanliness. Electrochemical techniques offer a highly efficient method for the preparation of various carbon nanomaterials such as nanofibers, nanorods, and nanotubes with the benefits of controlled process, low operating temperature, simplicity, and environmentally benign nature. In this chapter the synthesis of various carbon nanostructures, particularly the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nanofibers, and carbon nanotube composites by electrochemical techniques, has been discussed. Electrochemically synthesized carbon nanostructures have a wide variety of applications in many industries and in advanced technologies due to their in situ control and the size uniformity.