Review of Metal Supported on Mesoporous MCM41 as Catalyst for CNTs Growth

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is one of the most unique nanomaterials in the field of nanotechnology because of their high strength, stiffness and electrical conductivity. Growth CNTs through chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method offers controlled synthesis of ordered and aligned CNTs. Catalytic growth also can be designed CNTs in variety forms either straight filament, helically wound tubes and bent. Recently, transition metal incorporated Mobil Composition Matter (known as MCM41 ) molecular sieves as growth catalyst has been used for the production of CNTs. The invention of mesoporous molecular sieves by Mobil researchers in 1992 has given a new direction to the field of porous materials. MCM41 exhibit a good hexagonal arrangement, uniform channel structure, tuneable pore size (15-100 Å) and large surface area (≈1200 m2g-1). Transition metal catalysts can be incorporated into the pore walls of the mesoporous molecular sieves and stabilizing the dispersed catalytic sites. The mesoporosity and the well-defined pore structure in combination with high surface area make MCM41 materials as promising candidates for the synthesis of CNTs. In this article, we review and discuss the role of catalyst and their catalyst support using MCM mesoporous material.