Production of carbon nanotubes consistently grows worldwide and it is projected to reach about 10,000 tons in 2019 with production capacity up to 20,000 tons. Importantly this trend accompanies with dramatic reduction of the cost from few hundred dollars per gram down to about dollar or even less (for MWNTs). This progress of course catalyzes nanotube’s broader exploitation in various industrial areas, which dramatically expanding traditional product properties and paves the paths for large-scale applications of this unique material that could potentially revolutionize the properties of new products, particularly for smart and multifunctional materials.

Based on our studies we confirmed the scale-up production of SWNTs via catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) method.

The method involves the injection of pre-prepared alumina supported iron based catalyst powder into a vertical floating tubular reactor. The product is collected in several cyclones connected in series.