Efficient growth of MWCNTs from decomposition of liquefied petroleum gas on a NixMg1-xO catalyst

With a solid-solution type of NixMg1-xO as catalyst, low-cost and easy-handling LPG was used as the carbon-source to efficiently synthesize CNTs of high purity. The prepared CNTs were Herringbone-type MWCNTs, with the outer diameters in the range of 10-40 nm and the inner diameters of 3-7 nm. The CNTs were almost the only species in the purified products. The structures of the nanocarbon were predominantly graphite-like, and the content of amorphous carbon was considerably low (<= 6% estimated). The present study provides an alternative route to efficiently synthesize Herringbone-type CNTs of high purity without using CH4. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.