Effects of activation conditions on BET specific surface area of activated carbon nanotubes

The effects of different activation conditions, including KOH/CNTs ratio, activation temperature, activation time, and nitrogen flow rate, on the specific surface area of activated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) prepared with KOH were investigated. The nanometer hollow tube structure of CNTs can be well preserved for the activated CNTs but their BET specific surface area is significantly enlarged. The best results of activated CNTs with larger BET specific surface areas can be achieved by optimizing the four factors amonest which the KOH/CNTs ratio is found to be dominant. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.