Effect of zinc added to the Co/Al2O3 catalyst on the formation of carbon nanofilaments from methane and butadiene-1,3

The dynamics of carbon nanofilament growth from methane and butadiene-1,3 on Co-Zn/Al₂O₃ catalysts have been studied in the temperature range 500–750°C. The rate-limiting step in the growth of nanofilaments from butadiene is carbon atom diffusion through the bulk of the metal particle. In the case of methane, the process is controlled by one of the stages of hydrocarbon decomposition on the metal particle. The structure and morphology of the nanofilaments (composites) forming by the carbide cycle mechanism on fine zinc-promoted cobalt particles have been studied by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The morphology and crystallographic properties of the nanofilaments depend on the ratio of the hydrocarbon decomposition rate (which is determined by the nature of the hydrocarbon) to the rate at which carbon atoms diffuse from their formation sites to the nanofilament formation sites (which is determined by the nature of the metal particle and by the carbon diffusion coefficient in the particle bulk). The properties of the resulting carbon nanofilaments can be controlled by varying the nature of the hydrocarbon to be decomposed and the reaction temperature and by introducing another metal into the cobalt particles.