Abstract Submitted to the    NANOTUBE'04 Conference:

Extra-ordinary chemical and physical properties of carbon nanotubes and also the success of large-scale production by a catalytic chemical vapour deposition method, particularly with the use of a floating reactant technique [1, 2], make them applicable in the fabrication of adsorbent, electrochemical electrode, field emitter and functional filler in composite at a possible low cost. Through judicious selection of transient metal, support materials and synthetic conditions (temperature, duration), it is possible to produce different types of carbon nanotubes such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), selectively. In this study, we will describe the catalytic synthesis of various carbon nanotubes from the point of synthetic conditions, and structural changes by heat treatment will be discussed in terms of structural stability, and finally their practical applications of these carbon nanotubes will be described from the industrial point of view.

References:

[1] A. Oberlin, M. Endo, T. Koyama, J. Cryst. Growth, 32, 335 (1976).
[2] M. Endo, Chem. Tech. (Leipzig) 18, 568 (1988).