Methods and systems for carbon nanofiber production

A method of producing carbon nano-materials, the method comprising:

• (a) utilizing sunlight to heat a combined heating and electrolysis chamber containing an electrolyte consisting essentially of a carbonate material;
• (b) inserting an anode and a cathode into the electrolyte once melted;
• (c) providing a transition metal nucleating agent in the molten electrolyte, wherein the transition metal nucleating agent is selected from nickel, iron, cobalt, copper, titanium, chromium, manganese, zirconium, molybdenum, silver, cadmium, tin, ruthenium, and any combination thereof;
• (d) injecting carbon dioxide into the electrolyte, wherein the carbon dioxide is supplied from a fossil fuel combustion chamber;
• and
• (e) generating an electrolysis reaction between the anode and the cathode to (i) form deposits of the transition metal nucleating agent on the cathode which act as nucleating sites and (ii) subsequently produce oxygen and carbon products which are predominantly grown at the nucleation sites as carbon nano-materials,
• wherein the transition metal nucleating agent is nickel and the electrolysis reaction is performed at an initial current density of about 5 mA/cm2, the current density is then increased from about 5 mA/cm2 to about 100 mA/cm2, then maintained at a current density of between about 20 and about 1000 mA/cm2.

A method of producing carbon nano-materials, the method comprising:

• heating a combined heating and electrolysis chamber containing an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte consisting essentially of a carbonate material in order to melt the carbonate material;
• injecting carbon dioxide into the electrolyte, wherein the carbon dioxide is supplied from a fossil fuel combustion chamber;
• and
• generating an electrolysis reaction of the carbonate material between the anode and the cathode with a transition metal nucleating agent present in the electrolysis chamber, to (i) form deposits of the transition metal nucleating agent on the cathode which act as nucleation sites and (ii) subsequently produce oxygen and carbon products which are predominantly grown at the nucleation sites as carbon nano-materials, wherein (a) the transition metal nucleating agent is selected from nickel, iron, cobalt, copper, titanium, chromium, manganese, zirconium, molybdenum, silver, cadmium, vanadium, tin, ruthenium, and any combination thereof, and (b) the transition metal nucleating agent is provided in the molten electrolyte by (i) dissolution of the transition metal nucleating agent from the anode or (ii) addition of the transition metal nucleating agent as a transition metal salt to the molten electrolyte,
• wherein the carbon nano-material is a carbon nano-fiber, a carbon nano-tube, or both.

A method of producing carbon nano-materials, the method comprising:

• heating a combined heating and electrolysis chamber containing an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte consisting essentially of a carbonate material in order to melt the carbonate material;
• injecting carbon dioxide into the electrolyte, wherein the carbon dioxide is supplied from a fossil fuel combustion chamber;
• and
• generating an electrolysis reaction of the carbonate material between the anode and the cathode with a transition metal nucleating agent present in the electrolysis chamber, to (i) form deposits of the transition metal nucleating agent on the cathode which act as nucleation sites and (ii) subsequently produce oxygen and carbon products which are predominantly grown at the nucleation sites as carbon nano-materials, wherein the transition metal nucleating agent is selected from nickel, iron, cobalt, copper, titanium, chromium, manganese, zirconium, molybdenum, silver, cadmium, tin, ruthenium, and any combination thereof,
• wherein the transition metal nucleating agent is nickel and the electrolysis reaction is performed at an initial current density of about 5 mA/cm2, the current density is then increased from about 5 mA/cm2 to about 100 mA/cm2, then maintained at a current density of between about 20 and about 1000 mA/cm2.