CARBON NANOTUBES FROM TWO BITUMINOUS COALS

Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) were prepared by arc plasma discharge method from one Chinese coal and one New Zealand coal. It has been verified that the buffer gas pressure is a key factor for forming CNTs, and the optimum current intensity and the distance between the two carbon electrodes vary accordingly with varying the buffer gas pressure. SEM study indicates that carbon nanotubes in the inner part of the rod like cathode deposites are over 75?% when the buffer gas pressure is 0.066?5?MPa and the current is 40?A. The fullerene containing soots deposited on the inner wall surface of the reactor are characterized by mass and FTIR spectroscopy. The influence of arc parameters on the growth of coal derived CNTs under arc discharge plasma conditions is also briefly discussed.