Bulk growth and separation of single-walled carbon nanotubes from rhenium catalyst
Chen Ma, Yumin Liu, Lili Zhang, Qian Liu, Yiming Zhao, Ying Tian, Qianru Wu, Dong Li, Nan Zhao, Xueting Zhang, Liantao Xin, Huaping Liu, Peng‐Xiang Hou, Chang Liu, Maoshuai He, Jin Zhang
Abstract
Bulk synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) using solid catalyst has been challenging, despite of recent breakthrough in the chirality-specific growth on the flat substrate surface. In this work, we propose a porous magnesia support rhenium catalyst for bulk synthesis of SWNTs. It is found that the well-dispersed catalyst with a high melting point and the optimal chemical vapor deposition reaction conditions account for the growth of SWNTs. Detailed characterizations reveal the produced SWNTs are dominant in (n, n − 1) and (n, n − 2) species. Furthermore, by using a multicolumn chromatography post-growth separation method, SWNTs with three defined diameter ranges were obtained. This work guides the design of porous oxide supported catalyst for bulk synthesis and diameter-dependent sorting of SWNTs, which will ultimately help harness the extraordinary properties of SWNTs.