Methods for production of carbon nanostructures
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorAvetik Harutyunyan
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Abstract
Methods, processes, and apparatuses for the large scale synthesis of carbon nanostructures are provided. Metal catalysts having small diameter and narrow distribution of particle sizes are prepared and continuously injected as aerosols into a reactor. The metal catalysts are supported on supports that are substantially free of carbon, and the reactor is configured to control the flow of the gases such that the reaction time and contact of the reactants with the reactor walls can be controlled. Single-walled carbon nanotubes can be synthesized at a large scale and with high yields.
Claims28
A method for synthesizing carbon nanostructures, the method comprising:
- providing a catalyst of metal nanoparticles, wherein the catalyst is supported on a powdered oxide substrate having a particle size of 0.5 μm to 5 μm;
- entraining the catalyst in an inert gas;
- and
- exposing the entrained catalyst to a carbon precursor gas at a temperature sufficient to form carbon nanostructures, wherein the carbon nanostructure is single-walled carbon nanotubes.
A carbon nanotube structure produced by the process of:
- entraining a catalyst in an inert gas, wherein the catalyst is a metal supported on a powdered oxide substrate, wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of iron, nickel, molybdenum and cobalt, or mixtures thereof, and the powdered oxide substrate selected from the group consisting of Al2O3, SiO2, MgO and zeolites;
- exposing the entrained catalyst to a precursor gas at a temperature sufficient to form carbon nanotube structure;
- and
- collecting the synthesized carbon nanostructures, wherein the carbon nanostructure is single-walled carbon nanotubes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.