Mass production of high-quality single-wall carbon nanotubes by H2-N2 arc discharge

High-crystalline single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been produced by dc arc discharge evaporation of carbon electrode including I at.% Fe catalyst in H-2-N-2 mixture gas. The yield of as-grown SWNTs reaches higher than 70 at.%, and the form of SWNTs takes like a huge web. Raman scattering studies suggest that the diameter distribution of SWNTs can be controlled by varying the mixing ratio of H-2 and N-2 gas. Moreover, we can easily remove the coexisting Fe catalyst nanoparticles and obtain purified SWNTs. This new method for producing gram order of quantities of high-quality SWNTs will accelerate the studies of physical properties and practical applications of bulky SWNTs. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.