Growth of highly compressed and regular coiled carbon nanotubes by a spray-pyrolysis method

Cupric acetate dissolved in ethanol was applied for the first time for synthesizing highly compressed and regular coiled carbon nanotubes (CCNTs). This was done by spray pyrolysis of the ethanol solution intermittently supplied into the reaction zone at 850 degrees C. The grown CCNTs were in high purity and high yield and consisted of well-defined graphitic layers and fine regular coils. All the CCNTs had a uniform shape with a sharp radius Of Curvature and a small coil pitch. The growth of such CCNTs may be related to the use of Cu as the catalyst and the periodical supply of the carbon source. That is, such catalyst particles may be in a melted or semimelted state and susceptible to the fluctuation of growth conditions at the experimental temperature. Because of the simplicity of the present technique, it may be suitable for large-quantity production of CCNTs to be used in wide areas.