PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SINGLE WALL NANOTUBES USING UNSUPPORTED METAL CATALYSTS AND SINGLE WALL NANOTUBES PRODUCED ACCORDING TO THIS METHOD

• US 20060239897A1
• Filed: 09/06/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyperion Catalysis International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hyperion Catalysis International Incorporated
• Inventors: Moy, David, Chishti, Asif
• Granted Patent: US 7,144,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 423/447.300
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/127 by thermal decomposition of hydrocarbon gases or vapours or other carbon-containing compounds in the form of gas or vapour, e.g. carbon monoxide, alcohols
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/1278 Carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/133 Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/843 Gas phase catalytic growth, i.e. chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

A process for producing hollow, single-walled carbon nanotubes by catalytic decomposition of one or more gaseous carbon compounds by first forming a gas phase mixture carbon feed stock gas comprising one or more gaseous carbon compounds, each having one to six carbon atoms and only H, O, N, S or Cl as hetero atoms, optionally admixed with hydrogen, and a gas phase metal containing compound which is unstable under reaction conditions for said decomposition, and which forms a metal containing catalyst which acts as a decomposition catalyst under reaction conditions; and then conducting said decomposition reaction under decomposition reaction conditions, thereby producing said nanotubes.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

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

(a) loading Mo(CO)₆ particles into a vaporizer section of a reactor, said reactor including the vaporizer section and a reaction section,

(b) heating the reaction section of the reactor to at least 900°

C., while maintaining the vaporizer section of said reactor at room temperature,

(c) providing an argon flow into said reactor,

(d) replacing said argon flow with a gas flow comprising 90% CO and 10% H₂, and

(e) vaporizing said Mo(CO)₆ to form single wall carbon nanotubes.