Efficient growth of MWCNTs from decomposition of liquefied petroleum gas on a NixMg1−xO catalyst

With a solid-solution type of NixMg1−xO as catalyst, low-cost and easy-handling LPG was used as the carbon-source to efficiently synthesize CNTs of high purity. The prepared CNTs were “Herringbone-type” MWCNTs, with the outer diameters in the range of 10–40 nm and the inner diameters of 3–7 nm. The CNTs were almost the only species in the purified products. The structures of the nanocarbon were predominantly graphite-like, and the content of amorphous carbon was considerably low (⩽6% estimated). The present study provides an alternative route to efficiently synthesize Herringbone-type CNTs of high purity without using CH4.