Nanotubes Synthesis by Catalytic Decomposition of Hydrocarbons

4 Carbon Nanotubes Synthesis by Catalytic Decomposition of Hydrocarbons 

A crucial problem connected to carbon nanotube synthesis on supported catalysts on an industrial scale is the purification step required to remove the support and possibly the catalyst from the final material. To avoid this costly operation, the use of CNT- or CNF-supported catalysts to produce CNTs or CNFs has been investigated. Although most catalytic systems are based on nickel supported on CNFs (see Table 9.4), the use of MWCNTs [305,306] or SWCNTs [307] as supports has also been reported. Nickel, iron [304,308-310], and bimetallic Fe-Mo [305] and Ni-Pd [295] catalysts have been used. Compared to the starting CNTs or CNFs, the hybrid materials produced present higher specific surface area [297,308] or improved field emission characteristics [309]. 

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