Growth of multiwalled carbon nanotubes from acetylene over in situ formed Co nanoparticles on MgO support

The performance of Co catalysts supported on MgO at different Co loading (10%-75%) for the formation of carbon nanotubes through acetylene decomposition at 600 ^°C with H₂/C₂H₂ mixture for 1 h is investigated. The yield of MWNTs increases with an increase in Co loading (up to 50%). Starting from 1 g of catalyst precursor, about 8 g of MWNTs was obtained. The XRD patterns of catalyst precursor indicate the presence of cobalt in oxidic phase that eventually transformed into the catalytically active Co nanoparticles (12-18 nm) under the influence of acetylene and was responsible for the growth of coiled-like multi-walled CNTs as revealed by SEM and HRTEM images. It is suggested that bending in coil shaped MWNTs has the potential for functionalization for its biomedical applications.