High yield single-walled carbon nanotube synthesis through multilayer porous mesh substrates∗

Abstract

We demonstrate the high yield synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using a multi-layer, three-dimensional (3-D) metal mesh porous substrate consisting of eight parallel and evenly spaced mesh substrates. SWCNT yield in this synthesis improved 78-times compared to that of a single flat nonporous substrate. In addition, the total SWCNT yield was greater than eight-fold (mesh layered number). This yield improvement caused from the two reasons. First, mesh substrate could play a role as higher surface substrates than that of a flat nonporous substrate. Second, it also could achieve gas heating elements to allow the uniform delivery of heated source gases. In addition, CNTs grown were sustained the single-walled structure from the first layer to the final (8th) layer. This architecture leads to achieve the total carbon conversion efficiency of above 80% with single-walled structure (average: 1.2 number of walls). We can demonstrate this process as an interesting alternative approach for the efficient synthesis of high yield SWCNT synthesis for mass production through simply a change to the layered porous substrates (metal meshes).