Breathing new life into nanotubes for a cooler planet

Researchers at Skoltech discover a simple, single-step heat treatment that nearly doubles the CO2-trapping power of carbon nanotubes

2026-01-29

(Press-News.org) The fight against climate change relies heavily on finding better ways to capture carbon dioxide before it escapes into our atmosphere. While carbon nanotubes have long been seen as a "wonder material" for this task, their internal structures are often locked away like a closed pipe. Now, a research team from the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) has pioneered a deceptively simple way to pop those caps open and supercharge their adsorption capacity.

In a study published in Carbon Research, the team reveals that a straightforward thermal treatment, essentially "baking" single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in ambient air, can dramatically expand their available surface area. By heating the tubes at 400 °C for four hours, the researchers nearly doubled the specific surface area from 448 to 858 m²/g. This breakthrough is led by corresponding authors Dmitry V. Krasnikov and Albert G. Nasibulin, both prominent researchers at Skoltech in Moscow. Their work focuses on making high-performance nanomaterials more practical and scalable for global environmental applications.

"The secret lies in the accessibility of the nanotubes," explains the team. The heat treatment does two critical things: it oxidizes leftover catalyst particles and burns away the carbon "caps" at the ends of the tubes. This exposes the inner channels of the nanotubes, providing extensive surface area for CO2 molecules to settle.

Why This Matters for Carbon Capture:

Efficiency Boost: In dynamic breakthrough tests, the thermally treated nanotubes reached a CO2 uptake of 5.0 mmol/g, an 85% improvement over untreated samples. Simplicity is Key: Unlike complex chemical purification processes that can cause nanotubes to clump together (bundling), this single-step thermal method keeps the surface accessible and active. Precision Science: By comparing experimental data with Monte-Carlo and geometric simulations, the researchers were able to pinpoint exactly how CO2 molecules interact with these nano-surfaces, confirming that the "opened" tubes are far more effective at trapping gas. The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology has become a hub for such advanced material science. The work of Krasnikov and Nasibulin underscores the institute's commitment to developing scalable, evidence-based solutions for the ongoing climate crisis. By showing that a simple heating process can transform raw nanocarbon into a high-capacity sponge for greenhouse gases, they have provided a vital tool for the next generation of carbon capture technology. As industries look for cost-effective ways to lower their emissions, this Skoltech-led innovation offers a clear path forward: sometimes, the most effective solution is as simple as turning up the heat.

Corresponding Authors:

Dmitry V. Krasnikov Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia

Albert G. Nasibulin Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia

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Journal reference: Pal, A.K., Krasnikov, D.V., Varlamova, L.A. et al. Single-step thermal treatment of single-walled carbon nanotubes for enhanced CO2 adsorption capacity. Carbon Res. 5, 2 (2026).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s44246-025-00246-0

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About Carbon Research

The journal Carbon Research is an international multidisciplinary platform for communicating advances in fundamental and applied research on natural and engineered carbonaceous materials that are associated with ecological and environmental functions, energy generation, and global change. It is a fully Open Access (OA) journal and the Article Publishing Charges (APC) are waived until Dec 31, 2025. It is dedicated to serving as an innovative, efficient and professional platform for researchers in the field of carbon functions around the world to deliver findings from this rapidly expanding field of science. The journal is currently indexed by Scopus and Ei Compendex, and as of June 2025, the dynamic CiteScore value is 15.4.

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Breathing new life into nanotubes for a cooler planet

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