Process for producing monolayer carbon nanotube with uniform diameter

Abstract

Provided is a process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube on a substrate on which a lot of fine particles comprising at least one kind of a catalyst metal are formed in a reaction apparatus maintained in vacuum, wherein at least one kind of fullerene C 2n 's (n is an integer of n≧18) is sublimated at a prescribed temperature or higher to produce a fullerene gas in which a partial pressure is controlled; the fullerene gas is transported on the substrate heated at a sublimation temperature of the fullerene or higher; and the fullerene gas is brought into contact with the catalyst metal fine particles described above to produce a single-walled carbon nanotube. The vacuum degree is preferably 0.5 Torr or less, and the sublimation temperature is preferably 700° C. or higher. The substrate has a thin film of a porous substance or an inorganic oxide, and transition metal catalyst fine particles having a particle diameter of 0.5 to 10 nm are formed on the above thin film.

1 . A process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube on a substrate on which a lot of fine particles comprising at least one kind of a catalyst metal are formed in a reaction apparatus maintained in vacuum, wherein at least one kind of fullerene C 2n 's (n is an integer of n≧18) is sublimated at a prescribed temperature or higher to produce a fullerene gas in which a partial pressure is controlled; the fullerene gas is transported on the above substrate heated at a sublimation temperature of the fullerene or higher; and the fullerene gas is brought into contact with the catalyst metal fine particles described above to produce a single-walled carbon nanotube.  
     
     
         2 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 1 , wherein a pressure in the reaction apparatus is 0.5 Torr or less.  
     
     
         3 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 2 , wherein the pressure in the reaction apparatus is 0.05 Torr or less.  
     
     
         4 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 1 , wherein the sublimation temperature is 700° C. or lower.  
     
     
         5 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 1 , wherein the fullerene involves chemically modified fullerene.  
     
     
         6 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst metal is a transition metal belonging to the fifth A group, the sixth A group and the eighth group in the periodic table of elements.  
     
     
         7 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 6 , wherein the catalyst metal is any simple substance of Fe, Co, Mo, Ni, Rh, Pd and Pt or a mixture of two kinds thereof or more.  
     
     
         8 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 1 , wherein the substrate has a thin film comprising at least one of a porous substance and an inorganic oxide, and the fine particles described above are formed on the thin film.  
     
     
         9 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 8 , wherein the porous substance is an inorganic porous substance.  
     
     
         10 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 9 , wherein the inorganic porous substance is zeolite.  
     
     
         11 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 10 , wherein the zeolite is a Y type.  
     
     
         12 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 8 , wherein the thin film of the inorganic oxide is a silicon oxide film.  
     
     
         13 . The process for producing a single-walled carbon nanotube as described in  claim 1 , wherein the fine particles have a particle diameter of 0.5 to 10 nm.