Development of aligned carbon nanotubes layers over stainless steel mesh monoliths

We have studied the growth of layers of aligned nanocarbonaceous materials (NCM), in particular carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibres (CNFs), synthesized via catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CCVD) of ethane over the surface of stainless steel mesh monoliths. The NCM coating properties have been optimized studying the effect of pretreatment of the substrate (acid attack, oxidation and reduction), reaction temperature, and C2H6 and H2 feed concentrations. The experimental results indicate that it is possible to obtain aligned bundles of carbon nanotubes and nanofibres uniformly distributed over all the surface of the mesh. These experiments also allow us to find the kinetics of growth of the aligned bundles of CNTs. The preparation of a catalytic coating with good properties such as good adhesion to substrate, open porosity (mesoporosity) to enhance the diffusion of reactants, uniform thickness of NCM layer, good mechanical strength and control over the microstructure of CNTs ensures good activity and durability of the CNT-based structured catalytic reactor.