Influence of the operating conditions on the production rate of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in a CVD reactor

A kinetic study is presented for the synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in a semi-continuous chemical vapor deposition reactor. The study is based on the use of a mass spectrometer that allows the reaction rate to be inferred from the exhaust gas composition measurements. The tested reactor operating variables are the length and thickness of the catalytic bed, the total feed flow and the molar fraction of hydrocarbon in the feed. The results of the study are analyzed using well known reactor engineering models, which allows the origin of the observed physical limitations to be ascertained. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.