Production of Carbon Nanotubes over Fe-FSM-16 Catalytic Material: Effect of Acetylene Flow Rate and CVD Temperature

In this article, a high-yield synthesis of high-quality carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using Fe catalysts trapped within channels of Folded Sheet Mesoporous Materials, FSM-16, by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), using acetylene as a hydrocarbon source, is reported. The effect of reaction temperature and acetylene flow rate on the formation of CNTs was investigated. It was found that the yield, diameter and quality of CNTs synthesized strongly depend on reaction temperature during CVD. The resulting materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Our research found that carbon deposition, diameter and quality of the CNTs strongly depend on CVD temperature. However, the acetylene flow rate did not have any significant effect on diameter distribution. Raman measurement indicated that the synthesized products were multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). High-resolution transmission electron micrographs of samples reveal the multi-layer sidewalls of individual MWCNTs with a diameter of 40 nm, in which hollow and tubal structures were observed.