Method and apparatus for producing carbon nanotubes

A process for producing carbon nanotubes, comprising:

• feeding catalytic particles into a reactor wherein the catalytic particles comprise a support material and a catalytic material;
• reducing the catalytic particles to form reduced catalytic particles;
• catalytically forming carbon nanotubes by exposing the reduced catalytic particles to a carbon-containing gas for a duration of time at a reaction temperature sufficient to cause catalytic production of carbon nanotubes thereby forming reacted catalytic particles bearing the carbon nanotubes;
• cooling the reacted catalytic particles;
• and
• removing amorphous carbon deposited on the reacted catalytic particles.

A process for producing carbon nanotubes, comprising:

• feeding catalytic particles into a reactor wherein the catalytic particles comprise a support material and a catalytic material;
• reducing the catalytic particles by exposing the catalytic particles to reducing conditions forming reduced catalytic particles;
• catalytically forming carbon nanotubes by exposing the reduced catalytic particles to a carbon-containing gas for a duration of time at a reaction temperature sufficient to cause catalytic production of carbon nanotubes thereby forming reacted catalytic particles bearing the carbon nanotubes;
• cooling the reacted catalytic particles;
• removing amorphous carbon deposited on the reacted catalytic particles thereby forming semi-purified catalytic particles;
• treating the semi-purified catalytic particles to separate the support material from the catalytic material;
• and
• treating the catalytic material to separate the carbon nanotubes from the catalytic material.

A process for producing carbon nanotubes, comprising:

• feeding catalytic particles into a reactor wherein the catalytic particles comprise a support material and a catalytic material;
• reducing the catalytic particles by exposing the catalytic particles to reducing conditions forming reduced catalytic particles;
• catalytically forming carbon nanotubes by exposing the reduced catalytic particles to a carbon-containing gas for a duration of time at a reaction temperature sufficient to cause catalytic production of carbon nanotubes thereby forming reacted catalytic particles bearing the carbon nanotubes;
• treating the reacted catalytic particles to separate the support material from the catalytic material;
• treating the catalytic material to separate the carbon nanotubes from the catalytic material;
• recovering and recombining the support material and the catalytic material to regenerate catalytic particles;
• and
• feeding the regenerated catalytic particles into the reactor.

A process for producing carbon nanotubes, comprising:

• disposing catalytic particles into a reactor wherein the catalytic particles comprise a support material and a catalytic material;
• reducing the catalytic particles to form reduced catalytic particles;
• catalytically forming carbon nanotubes by exposing the reduced catalytic particles to a carbon-containing gas for a duration of time at a reaction temperature sufficient to cause catalytic production of carbon nanotubes thereby forming reacted catalytic particles bearing the carbon nanotubes;
• and
• treating the reacted catalytic particles to separate the carbon nanotubes from the catalytic particles.

A process for producing carbon nanotubes, comprising:

• disposing catalytic particles into a reactor wherein the catalytic particles comprise a support material and a catalytic material;
• reducing the catalytic particles to form reduced catalytic particles;
• catalytically forming carbon nanotubes by exposing the reduced catalytic particles to a carbon-containing gas for a duration of time at a reaction temperature sufficient to cause catalytic production of carbon nanotubes thereby forming reacted catalytic particles bearing the carbon nanotubes;
• and
• treating the reacted catalytic particles to separate the support material from the catalytic material.

A process for producing carbon nanotubes, comprising:

• disposing catalytic particles into a reactor wherein the catalytic particles comprise a support material and a catalytic material comprising Co and Mo;
• reducing the catalytic particles to form reduced catalytic particles;
• and
• catalytically forming carbon nanotubes by exposing the reduced catalytic particles to a carbon-containing gas for a duration of time at a reaction temperature sufficient to cause catalytic production of carbon nanotubes thereby forming reacted catalytic particles bearing the carbon nanotubes.

A process for producing carbon nanotubes, comprising:

• disposing catalytic particles into a reactor wherein the catalytic particles comprise a support material and a catalytic material and wherein the catalytic material comprises a Group VIII metal selected from the group consisting of Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir, Fe, Pt, and mixtures thereof, and a Group VIb metal selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mo, W, and mixtures thereof;
• reducing the catalytic particles to form reduced catalytic particles;
• and
• catalytically forming carbon nanotubes by exposing the reduced catalytic particles to a carbon-containing gas for a duration of time at a reaction temperature sufficient to cause catalytic production of carbon nanotubes thereby forming reacted catalytic particles bearing the carbon nanotubes.

A process for producing carbon nanotubes, comprising:

• disposing catalytic particles into a reactor wherein the catalytic particles comprise a support material and a catalytic material;
• reducing the catalytic particles to form reduced catalytic particles;
• and
• catalytically forming carbon nanotubes by exposing the reduced catalytic particles to a carbon-containing gas for a duration of time at a reaction temperature sufficient to cause catalytic production of carbon nanotubes thereby forming reacted catalytic particles bearing the carbon nanotubes and wherein the carbon nanotubes which are produced primarily comprise single-walled carbon nanotubes.