Growth of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes on Large Scale by Methane Decomposition with Deactivation Inhibitor

The effects of additives containing iron or nickel during chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by methane decomposition on Mo/MgO catalyst were investigated. Ferrocene and nickel nitrate were introduced as deactivation inhibitors by in-situ evaporation during CVD. The precisely controlled in-situ introduction of these inhibitors increased the surface renewal of catalyst, and therefore prevented the catalyst from deactivation. Using this method, aligned multi-walled CNTs with parallel mesopores can be produced on a large scale.