Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T05:37:22.440Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Flame Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Murray J. Height ,
Jack B. Howard  and
Jefferson W. Tester
Murray J. Height
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
Jack B. Howard
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
Jefferson W. Tester
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
Get access

Abstract

Flames offer a potential for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes in large quantities at modest costs. This study aims to examine the conditions for carbon nanotube formation in premixed flames and to characterize the morphology of solid carbon deposits and their primary formation mechanisms in the combustion environment. Single walled nanotubes have been observed in the post-flame region of a premixed acetylene/oxygen/argon flame operated at 50 Torr (6.7 kPa) with iron pentacarbonyl vapor used as a source of metallic catalyst. A thermophoretic sampling method and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the solid material present in the flame at various heights above burner (HAB), giving resolution of formation dynamics within the flame system. Catalyst particle formation and growth are observed in the immediate post-flame region, 10 to 40 mm HAB, with coagulation leading to typical particle sizes on the order of 5 to 10 nm. Nanotubes were observed to be present after 40 mm HAB (∼34 milliseconds) with nanotube inception occurring as early as 30mm HAB (∼25 ms). Between 40 and 70 mm HAB (∼30 ms), nanotubes are observed to form and coalesce into clusters. Based on the rapid appearance of nanotubes in this region, it appears that once initiated, the nanotube growth occurs quite rapidly, on the order of 10 νm/s. A nanotube formation ‘envelope’ is evident with a formation limited to fuel equivalence ratios between a lower limit of 1.5 and an upper limit of 1.9. A continuum of morphologies ranging from relatively clean clusters of nanotubes to amorphous material is observed between the lower and upper limits. We suggest that the diversity of morphologies is due to competition between carbon precipitation pathways. High resolution TEM revealed the nanotubes to be primarily single walled. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of single wall nanotubes and indicated a broad range of diameters and differences in chirality to plasma-arc generated material.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 772: Symposium M – Nanotube-Based Devices , 2003 , M1.8
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Iijima, S., Nature 354, 56, (1991)Google Scholar
2. Yakobson, B.I. and Smalley, R.E., Am. Sci. 85, 324, (1997)Google Scholar
3. Dresselhaus, M.S., Nature 358, 195, (1992)Google Scholar
4. Varghese, O.K., Kichambre, P.D., Gong, D., Ong, K.G., Dickey, E.C., and Grimes, C.A., Sensor Actuator 81, 32, (2001)Google Scholar
5. Thostenson, E.T., Ren, Z., and Chou, T.-W., Compos. Sci. Technol. 61, 1899, (2001)Google Scholar
6. Papadopoulos, J.L.C., Xu, J.M., and Moskovits, M., Appl. Phys. Lett. 75, 367, (1999)Google Scholar
7. Avouris, P., Chem. Phys. 281, 429, (2002)Google Scholar
8. Baughman, R.H., Cui, C.X., Zakhidov, A.A., Iqbal, Z., Barisci, J.N., Spinks, G.M., Wallace, G.G., Mazzoldi, A., Rossi, D. De, Rinzler, A.G., Jaschinski, O., Roth, S., and Kertesz, M., Science 284, 1340, (1999)Google Scholar
9. Shim, M., Kam, N. Wong Shi, Chen, R.J., Li, Y., and Dai, H., Nano Lett. 2, 285, (2002)Google Scholar
10. Long, R.Q. and Yang, R.T., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 123, 2058, (2001)Google Scholar
11. Dillon, A.C. and Heben, M.J., Appl. Phys. A. 72, 133, (2001)Google Scholar
12. Li, W., Liang, C., Qiu, J., Zhou, W., Han, H., Wei, Z., Sun, G., and Xin, Q., Carbon 40, 787, (2002).Google Scholar
13. Thess, A., Lee, R., Nikolaev, P., Dai, H., Petit, P., Robert, J., Xu, C., Lee, Y.H., Kim, S.G., Rinzler, A.G., Colbert, D.T., Scuseria, G.E., Tomanek, D., Fischer, J.E., and Smalley, R.E., Science 273, 483, (1996)Google Scholar
14. Ebbesen, T.W. and Ajayan, P.M., Nature 358, 220, (1992)Google Scholar
15. Andrews, R., Jacques, D., Rao, A.M., Derbyshire, F., Qian, D., Fan, X., Dickey, E.C., and Chen, J., Chem. Phys. Lett. 303, 467, (1999)Google Scholar
16. Venegoni, D., Serp, P., Feurer, R., Kihn, Y., Vahlas, C., and Kalck, P., Carbon 40, 1799, (2002).Google Scholar
17. Wal, R.L. Vander, Combust. Flame 130, 37, (2002)Google Scholar
18. Wal, R.L. Vander, Ticich, T.M., and Curtis, V.E., Chem. Phys. Lett. 323, 217, (2000)Google Scholar
19. Wal, R.L. Vander, Hall, L.J., and Berger, G.M., J. Phys. Chem. B 106, 13122, (2002)Google Scholar
20. Howard, J.B., Chowdhury, K.D., and Sande, J.B. Vander, Nature 370, 603, (1994)Google Scholar
21. Chowdhury, K. Das, Howard, J.B., and Sande, J.B. Vander, J. Mater. Res. 11, 341, (1996)Google Scholar
22. Yuan, L., Saito, K., Pan, C., Williams, F.A., and Gordon, A.S., Chem. Phys. Lett. 340, 237, (2001).Google Scholar
23. Diener, M.D., Nichelson, N., and Alford, J.M., J. Phys. Chem. B 104, 9615, (2000)Google Scholar
24. Singer, J.M. and Grumer, J., Seventh Symposium (International) on Combustion, 681, (1959).Google Scholar
25. Saito, K., Gordon, A.S., Williams, F.A., and Stickle, W.F., Combust. Sci. Technol. 80, 103, (1991).Google Scholar
26. Duan, H.M. and McKinnon, J.T., J. Phys. Chem. 98, 12815, (1994)Google Scholar
27. Richter, H., Hernadi, K., Caudano, R., Fonseca, A., Migeon, H.-N., Nagy, J.B., Schneider, S., Vandooren, J., and Tiggelen, P.J. Van, Carbon 34, 427, (1996)Google Scholar
28. Merchan-Merchan, W., Saveliev, A., Kennedy, L.A., and Fridman, A., Chem. Phys. Lett. 354, 20, (2002)Google Scholar
29. Megaridis, C.M. and Dobbins, R.A., Combust. Sci. Technol. 71, 95, (1990)Google Scholar
30. Janzen, C. and Roth, P., Combust. Flame 125, 1150, (2001)Google Scholar
31. Sinnott, S.B., Andrews, R., Qian, D., Rao, A.M., Mao, Z., Dickey, E.C., and Derbyshire, F., Chem. Phys. Lett. 315, 25, (1999)Google Scholar