Carbon Nanotubes As A Premium Catalyst Support Material

Carbon nanotubes are a special carbon material having a highly graphitic nature and nanoscale dimensions. These tubular filaments were first observed from steam cracker when electron microscopes came into wide use around 1950s [1], however, intentional synthesis of carbon nanotubes in bulk quantity wasn’t successful till 1983 [2]. Without formal presentation, this invention was mostly unknown to the open public. These synthetic graphite fibrils have the morphology similar to those later made by Iijima using arc-discharge method in 1991 [3], but unlike the buckytubes, they are produced as aggregates uncontaminated with amorphous carbon or other graphitic non-tubular structures. Since 1991, intense interest on carbon nanotubes has risen exponentially due to their perceived novel physical and chemical properties as well as huge potential in many technological applications. The studies on applying carbon nanotubes as commercial catalyst support materials are, however, very limited partially due to their availability and concern of manufacture cost. A few studies have been reported in the literatures on hydrogenation of nitrobenzene [4], hydroformylation [5] and selective hydrogenation [6,7].