Gas-phase nucleation and growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes from high pressure CO

A method for producing single wall carbon nanotubes comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a CO gas stream comprising CO, wherein said CO is at a superatmospheric pressure;
• (b) providing a gaseous catalyst precursor stream comprising a catalyst precursor, wherein
• (i) said catalyst precursor comprises atoms of a transition metal selected from the group consisting of Group VI metals, Group VIII metals and mixtures thereof, and
• (ii) said gaseous catalyst precursor stream is provided at a temperature below the decomposition temperature of said catalyst precursor;
• (c) heating said CO gas stream comprising CO to a temperature
• (i) that is at least above the decomposition temperature of said catalyst precursor and
• (ii) that is sufficient to form single wall carbon nanotubes;
• (d) mixing said CO gas stream and said gaseous catalyst precursor stream to form a reaction mixture, wherein said mixing step occurs in a mixing zone and wherein said mixing step rapidly heats said catalyst precursor to a temperature that is
• (i) above the decomposition temperature of said catalyst precursor,
• (ii) sufficient to promote the formation of catalyst metal atom clusters, and
• (iii) sufficient to promote the initiation and growth of single wall carbon nanotubes;
• and
• (c) forming solid products comprising the single wall nanotubes that are in a resulting gaseous stream, wherein at least 75% of atoms of the solid products are atoms of the single wall carbon nanotubes.

A method for producing single wall carbon nanotubes comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a CO gas stream comprising CO, wherein said CO is at a pressure of about at least 3 atmospheres;
• (b) providing a gaseous catalyst precursor stream comprising a catalyst precursor, wherein
• (i) said catalyst precursor comprises atoms of a transition metal selected from the group consisting of Group VI metals, Group VIII metals and mixtures thereof, and
• (ii) said gaseous catalyst precursor stream being provided at a temperature below the decomposition temperature of said catalyst precursor;
• (c) heating said CO gas stream to a temperature
• (i) that is at least above the decomposition temperature of said catalyst precursor and
• (ii) that is sufficient to form single wall carbon nanotubes;
• (d) mixing said CO gas stream with said gaseous catalyst precursor stream to form a reaction mixture, wherein said mixing step occurs in a mixing zone and wherein said mixing step rapidly heats said catalyst precursor to a temperature that is
• (i) above the decomposition temperature of said catalyst precursor,
• (ii) sufficient to promote the formation of catalyst metal atom clusters and
• (iii) sufficient to promote the initiation and growth of single wall carbon nanotubes;
• (e) supplying a nucleating agent to said mixing zone to facilitate the formation of said catalyst metal atom clusters;
• and
• (f) forming solid products, wherein greater than about 75% of atoms of the solid products are atoms of the single wall carbon nanotubes.

The method for producing single wall carbon nanotubes comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a CO gas stream comprising CO, wherein said CO gas stream is at a superatmospheric pressure;
• (b) providing a gaseous catalyst precursor stream comprising a catalyst precursor;
• (c) mixing the CO gas stream and the gaseous catalyst precursor stream to form a reaction mixture, wherein said mixing step occurs under reaction conditions to form single wall carbon nanotubes;
• and
• (d) reacting said reaction mixture to form carbon products in tubular form, wherein at least 75 atom % of the carbon products in tubular form are single wall carbon nanotubes.

A method for producing single wall carbon nanotubes comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a CO gas stream comprising CO, wherein said CO gas stream is at a superatmospheric pressure;
• (b) providing a gaseous catalyst precursor stream comprising a catalyst precursor;
• (c) mixing the CO gas stream and the gaseous catalyst precursor stream to form a reaction mixture, wherein said mixing step occurs under reaction conditions to form single wall carbon nanotubes;
• and
• (d) reacting said reaction mixture stream to form carbon products in tubular form, wherein at least 99 atom % of the carbon products in tubular form are single wall carbon nanotubes.