SBIR Phase I: Process for Production of Carbon Nanotubes from Re-Usable Catalytic Substrate

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将开发一种制造碳纳米管(CNT)的新工艺。复合材料制造商对碳纳米管的需求很大，但目前的技术还不能以负担得起的价格提供大量的碳纳米管。多壁碳纳米管将通过碳原料气体的热解从可重复使用的催化基质中生长出来。可重复使用的催化衬底将提供对碳纳米管直径的控制，范围从5 nm到100 nm。碳纳米管从催化底物上生长后，将被物理移除(收获)，催化底物可以重复使用。由此得到的碳纳米管将不会受到催化剂金属的污染，并且基本上是单分散的。这一过程可以完全自动化，并且可以以非常低的成本扩展到大容量。该项目将通过演示从相同的催化底物重复合成碳纳米管来证明该方法的可行性。将生产不同直径的纳米管，并对其结构进行表征。实验数据将被用来对该方法的制造经济学进行详细的分析，并将评估其竞争力。该技术的商业和更广泛的影响将在生产和销售松散的碳纳米管的成本/质量关系方面提供重大突破。终端客户将在复合材料中使用碳纳米管，具有改进的结构完整性以及独特的电和热性能。潜在客户还将重点放在使用碳纳米管储存能量上。衍生应用可能包括用于平板显示器的电磁辐射屏蔽和场发射阴极。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a novel process for manufacturing carbon nanotubes (CNTs). There is great demand for CNTs from composite materials manufacturers, but current technology cannot yet provide large quantities of CNTs at an affordable price. Multi-wall carbon nanotubes will be grown from a re-usable catalytic substrate by pyrolysis of a carbon feedstock gas. The reusable catalytic substrate will provide control over the diameter of the CNTs in the range from 5nm to 100nm. After the CNTs have been grown from the catalytic substrate they will be physically removed (harvested), and the catalytic substrate can be reused. The resulting CNTs will be free of catalyst metal contamination and largely monodisperse. This process can be fully automated and is scalable to high volumes at very low cost. This project will prove the feasibility of this approach by demonstrating repeatable synthesis of carbon nanotubes from the same catalytic substrates. Nanotubes of different diameter will be produced and their structure will be characterized. The experimental data will be used to create a detailed analysis of the manufacturing economics for the approach and its competitiveness will be evaluated.The commercial and broader impacts of this technology would offer a major breakthrough in the cost/quality relationship to produce and sell loose CNTs. End customers will use CNTs in composite materials with improved structural integrity, and unique electrical and thermal performance. Potential customers are also focused on the use of carbon nanotubes for energy storage. Spin-off applications could include electromagnetic radiation shielding and field emission cathodes for flat panel displays.