Production of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Moisala, A. Nasibulin, A. G. Kauppinen, E. I. 2003. The role of metal nanoparticles in the catalytic production of single-walled carbon nanotubes—a review. J. Phys. Condens. Matter 15 S3011-3035. 

Joumet C, Maser WK, Bernier P et al (1997) Large-scale production of single-walled carbon nanotubes by the electric-arc technique. Nature 388 756-758... 

Nikolaev P. Gas-phase production of single-walled carbon nanotubes from carbon monoxide a review of the HiPco process. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 2004 4 307-16. 

H. Cheng, et al Production of single-walled carbon nanotubes by a hydrogen arc discharge method, 2003, Institute of Metal Research of The Chinese Academy of Sciences (Shenyang, CN) US Patent 6517800B1. 

Shi ZJ, Lian YF, Zhou XH, Gu ZN, Zhang YG, lijima S, et al. Mass-production of single-wall carbon nanotubes by arc discharge method. Carbon 1999 37 1449-53. 

Journet, C.W., Matser, K., Bernier, P., Laiseau, L., Lefrant, S., Deniard, P., Lee, R., and Fischer, J.E. (1997) Large-scale production of single-walled carbon nanotubes by the dectric-arc technique. Nature, 388, 756-758. 

Kitiyanan, B., Alvarez, W.E., Harwell, J.H., and Resasco, D.E. (2000) Controlled production of single-wall carbon nanotubes by catalytic decomposition of CO on bimetalhc Co-Mo catalysts. Chem. Phys. Lett., 317, 497-503. 

Mieno, T., Matsumoto, N. and Takeguchi, M., Efficient production of single walled carbon nanotubes by J x B gas-arc method, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 43 (12A), 2004, L1527-L1529. 

Ni(CO)4 is the sole binary carbonyl complex of the elements of group 10 that is stable (Table 8.1). However, very few studies in which Ni(CO)4 is used in the preparation of catalysts have been reported [43]. This is probably due to the difficulty of manipulation of Ni(CO)4 and its very high toxicity. However, surface Ni(CO)4 species have been identified after the interaction of CO with highly dispersed supported nickel catalysts prepared by other routes [44]. Recent interest in the use of Ni(CO)4 has focused on the controlled production of nickel nanoparticles for specific purposes, such as in automotive converters [45]. The use of nickel tetracarbonyl as an agent for the nucleation process in the growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes has also been reported [46]. 

The arc method of production was vastly improved after these original observations, and numerous other production methods were developed [96-99], including methods which primarily promoted the growth of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) [99-101]. As implied by the name, SWNTs are nanotubes which consist of only one layer of carbon atoms. 

The yield of single-walled carbon nanotubes is about 15%, while ca. 50% of the isolated carbon is obtained as amorphous material with the latter partly deposited on the surface of the first. The raw product also contains up to 20% of catalyst, which has to be removed before further use. 

Like in the preparation of single-walled carbon nanotubes, the chemical vapor deposition of MWNT consists in the generation of small carbon clusters or atoms from precursor compounds. The products precipitate in the shape of different carbon materials with the reaction conditions determining the specific stracture... 

There is yet another phenomenon that points to a 1,4-addition of fluorine atoms occurring at least partially The products obtained from the reaction of single-walled carbon nanotubes with fluorine are definite nonconductors (resistance >20 MQ), while the nanotubes employed feature a resistance of 10-15 2 only. Considering the structures that result from a consecutive 1,2- or 1,4-addition of fluorine, respectively, reveals that an electric current via conjugated it-bonds would still be possible in the 1,2-adduct (Figure 3.70). In the 1,4-adduct, on the other... 

In the field of carbon nanotubes synthesis, widely studied for the moment, the one-step sol-gel method is examined as a way to prepare bimetallic catalysts leading to a high productivity in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). For example, Su et al. [145] prepared a Fe-Mo/AljOj aerogel (dried in supercritical COj) and Mehn et al. [133] prepared a Fe-Mo/AljOj cryogel (freeze-dried) both with a good activity in SWNTs synthesis. 

M. Su, B. Zheng, and J. Liu, A Scalable CVD Method for the Synthesis of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with High Catalyst Productivity, Chem. Phys. Lett., 322, pp. 321-26, 2000. 

Loos and co-workers [64] studied the effect of CNT on the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of epoxy matrices. Bisphenol A based epoxy resin nanocomposites were prepared with various small proportions of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and then investigated using acetone as a diluent to reduce the resin viscosity, and the products after removal of the solvent were characterised by FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), DSC, DMA, tensile, compression, flexural and impact testing, and SEM of the fracture surfaces. The effects of small amounts of SWCNT on mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the nanocomposites are discussed in terms of structural changes in the epoxy matrix. 

Su M, Zhang B, Liu J. A scalable CVD method for the synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes with high catalyst productivity. Chem Phys Lett 2000 322 321-6. 

Very interesting supramolecular structures are known as carbon peapods, and consist of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) filled with fullerenes. After their first detection via high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) as a side product in the production of carbon nanotubes, different methodologies have been developed to produce such new carbon allotropes. The harsh conditions previously used (such as high temperatures, low pressures, and acidic medias) have been later overcome by mild condition experiments that exploited not completely understood mechanisms of nano-condensation and nanoextraction. ... 

Rinzler AG, Liu J, Dai H, Nikolaev P, Huffman CB, Rodriguez-Macias FJ, Boul PJ, Lu AH, Heymann D, Colbert DT, Lee RS, Fischer JE, Rao AM, Eklund PC, Smalley RE (1998) Large-scale purification of single-wall carbon nanotubes. Process, product, and characterization. Appl Phys A Mater Sci Process 67 29-37... 

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