Optimisation of reaction conditions for the synthesis of single‐walled carbon nanotubes using response surface methodology

Abstract

AbstractThe effects of three preparation variables, i.e. reaction temperature, reaction time and reaction gas (methane/nitrogen) flow rate, on the ratio of the intensity of the Raman D band to the intensity of the G band (ID/IG), carbon mass and the presence of radial breathing mode (RBM) peaks were investigated by using a central composite design to develop two linear models. The most influential factor in each experimental design‐response was identified using the analysis of variance. The predicted ID/IG ratio, carbon mass and presence of RBM peaks determined during the process optimisation were found to agree satisfactorily with the experimental values. The optimum conditions for synthesising single‐walled carbon nanotubes were determined to be a reaction temperature of 900°C, a reaction time of 59 min and a reaction gas flow rate of 54 mL/min. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering