Leandro Balzano

A Scalable Process for Production of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) by Catalytic Disproportionation of CO on a Solid Catalyst

Existing single-walled carbon nanotube synthesis methods are not easily scalable, operate under severe conditions, and involve high capital and operating costs. The current cost of SWNT is exceedingly high. A catalytic method of synthesis has been developed that has shown potential advantages over the existing methods. This method is based on a catalyst formulation that inhibits the formation of undesired forms of carbon; it can be scaled-up and may result in lower production costs.

Controlled growth of SWCNT on solid catalysts with narrow (n,m) distribution

We have optimized a catalytic process to obtain high‐quality SWNT over silica‐supported Co‐Mo catalysts in the temperature range 700–950°C. The excellent performance of this catalyst is based on the formation of a surface cobalt molybdate, in which, the Co‐Mo interaction inhibits the Co metal agglomeration that typically occurs at high temperatures. This process is attractive because it can be readily scaled up, but at the same time is highly selective in terms of the diameter and chirality of the nanotubes that it produces.