The Large-Scale Production of Nanofibers, MWNTS, SWNTS and Their Practical Applications

The sp2-based fibrous carbons, such as carbon nanofibers, multi-wall carbon nanotubes and single-wall carbon nanotubes, have acted as a vanguard among nanomaterials with a high potential of applications in various fields of nano-technology, due to their extraordinary chemical and physical properties. One obstacle to recent trends toward widespread practical applications of fibrous carbon is considered to be the difficulty of large-scale production of high purity the fibrous carbons at a reasonable cost. In this sense, the catalytic chemical vapor deposition method (or pyrolysis of hydrocarbons) is considered to be the answer for the large-scale production of these fibrous carbons, especially, using a floating reactant method. Through exact control of synthetic conditions, it is possible to tailor the diameter, crystallinity, and the angle of truncated cones with regard to tube axis. In this study, we will report the synthetic method of fibrous carbons including SWNTs, especially the floating reactant method, describe structural characterizations for various fibrous carbons, and finally deal with practical applications for these fibrous carbons such as the filler in advanced nano-composite, electrochemical applications, field emitter etc.