Single-walled carbon nanotube reactor
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202522547708.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-01
- Publication Date
- 2026-11-03
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-12-01
AI Technical Summary
In existing single-walled carbon nanotube production equipment, the backflow of carbon source gas during the preparation process easily leads to carbon buildup on the inner wall of the equipment, resulting in short production cycles and cumbersome downtime maintenance.
The design incorporates a relatively independent horizontal plasma generation chamber and a vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber, employing a flow direction reversal design for both horizontal and vertical airflow. A funnel-shaped plasma gas outlet and carbon source gas inlet are located at the connection point to prevent backflow of the carbon source gas. The outlet is designed at the bottom to reduce resistance.
It effectively avoids carbon source gas backflow, reduces carbon deposit formation, improves production efficiency, simplifies equipment maintenance, and saves raw material gas.
Smart Images
Figure CN224930298U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model specifically relates to a single-walled carbon nanotube reactor. Background Technology
[0002] Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are widely used in high-performance materials fields such as field emission displays (FETs), lithium-ion batteries, and sensors due to their excellent mechanical, electrical, thermal, and chemical properties, including high crystallinity and good conductivity. For example, because of their extremely low field emission threshold and high emission current density, CNTs are used in FETs to achieve high brightness and low power consumption. The high conductivity and high specific surface area of CNTs can improve the conductivity and energy density of lithium-ion batteries. In particular, as an additive in composite electrode materials, they can significantly enhance the cycle stability and rate performance of batteries.
[0003] With the development of technology, single-walled carbon nanotubes have gradually moved from the laboratory to mass production, but some problems have also emerged. Currently, conventional single-walled carbon nanotube production equipment faces problems such as short production cycles and cumbersome downtime maintenance. The root cause is that during the reaction process, the carbon source gas flows back and easily forms a layer of carbon deposits on the inner wall of the equipment. Utility Model Content
[0004] This invention addresses the technical problem of carbon source gas backflow causing a layer of carbon deposits to easily form on the inner wall of the existing carbon nanotube reactor during carbon nanotube preparation. The purpose is to provide a single-walled carbon nanotube reactor.
[0005] The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor of this invention includes: a relatively independent horizontal plasma generation chamber and a vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber, both with reversed flow direction.
[0006] The horizontal plasma generating chamber has a longitudinal sidewall, and the longitudinal sidewall has a transverse plasma gas outlet;
[0007] The vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a longitudinal sidewall, and the longitudinal sidewall has a transverse plasma gas inlet.
[0008] The plasma gas lateral outlet is connected to the plasma gas lateral inlet.
[0009] Preferably, the transverse plasma gas outlet of the horizontal plasma generating chamber is a funnel-shaped outlet with a gradually decreasing cross-sectional area that can increase the plasma gas flow rate. More preferably, the included angle of the funnel-shaped outlet is 60°≤β≤120°, such as 65°, 75°, 85°, 90°, 95°, 105°, 115°, etc.
[0010] Preferably, the longitudinal sidewall of the growth chamber is surface-mounted with the longitudinal sidewall of the generation chamber, and more preferably, the upper part of the longitudinal sidewall of the growth chamber is surface-mounted with the longitudinal sidewall of the generation chamber.
[0011] Preferably, the longitudinal sidewall of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a carbon source gas inlet.
[0012] Alternatively, preferably, the carbon source gas inlet is connected to the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber through multiple airflow inlets; more preferably, the multiple airflow inlets are evenly spaced at the same height on the longitudinal sidewall of the growth chamber.
[0013] Preferably, the horizontal plasma generation chamber and the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber are arranged in a figure-7 shape, with the airflow in the horizontal plasma generation chamber flowing horizontally and the airflow in the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber flowing vertically.
[0014] Preferably, the bottom of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a discharge port.
[0015] Preferably, the discharge port is a shared outlet for both carbon nanotubes and exhaust gas.
[0016] Preferably, the horizontal plasma generating chamber has:
[0017] A hollow graphite cathode is installed through the top wall of the horizontal plasma generating chamber, with its lower section extending into the chamber.
[0018] A crucible is located at the bottom of the horizontal plasma generating chamber. The anode is located outside the horizontal plasma generating chamber and connected to the crucible. The hollow graphite cathode is positioned at a certain distance from the crucible to generate an electric arc.
[0019] Preferably, the middle part of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber is a heating wall.
[0020] This invention also provides a single-walled carbon nanotube reactor that is not prone to backflow. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor includes a horizontal plasma generation chamber and a vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber. The upper part of the longitudinal side wall of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a carbon source gas inlet and a plasma gas transverse inlet. The carbon source gas inlet is lower than the plasma gas transverse inlet.
[0021] Preferably, the bottom of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a discharge port.
[0022] Preferably, the discharge port is a combined outlet for carbon nanotubes and exhaust gas.
[0023] Preferably, the carbon source gas inlet is connected to the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber through multiple airflow inlets. More preferably, the carbon source gas inlet is connected to the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber through multiple airflow inlets in a form that forms a downward angle α with the chamber wall of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber. More preferably, 30°≤α≤75°.
[0024] Preferably, multiple airflow inlets are evenly spaced at the same height on the longitudinal sidewall of the growth chamber.
[0025] Preferably, the airflow in the horizontal plasma generation chamber and the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber are respectively lateral and vertical.
[0026] The horizontal plasma generating chamber has a longitudinal sidewall, and the longitudinal sidewall has a transverse plasma gas outlet;
[0027] The vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a longitudinal sidewall, and the longitudinal sidewall has a transverse inlet for the plasma gas.
[0028] The plasma gas lateral outlet is connected to the plasma gas lateral inlet.
[0029] Preferably, the longitudinal sidewall of the growth chamber is surface-mounted with the longitudinal sidewall of the generation chamber.
[0030] Preferably, the upper part of the longitudinal sidewall of the growth chamber is connected to the longitudinal sidewall of the generation chamber in a face-fitting manner.
[0031] Preferably, the horizontal plasma generating chamber has:
[0032] A hollow graphite cathode is installed through the top wall of the horizontal plasma generating chamber, with its lower section extending into the chamber.
[0033] A crucible is located at the bottom of the horizontal plasma generating chamber. The anode is located outside the horizontal plasma generating chamber and connected to the crucible. The hollow graphite cathode is positioned at a certain distance from the crucible to generate an electric arc.
[0034] Preferably, the middle part of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber is a heating wall.
[0035] The positive and progressive effects of this utility model are as follows:
[0036] 1) The horizontal plasma generation chamber and the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber of this utility model are two relatively independent chambers. The carbon source gas enters the reactor from the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber, which can avoid the carbon accumulation problem caused by the carbon source gas passing through the plasma generation chamber in the prior art.
[0037] 2) This utility model designs a horizontal plasma generation chamber and a vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber that are interconnected. The horizontal plasma generation chamber forms a horizontal airflow direction, while the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a vertical airflow direction. The flow direction is separated from each other, which avoids airflow collision and can effectively reduce the backflow of carbon source gas into the horizontal plasma generation chamber.
[0038] 3) By designing the transverse outlet of the plasma gas at the connection between the horizontal plasma generation chamber and the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber into a funnel shape with a gradually decreasing cross-section, this invention can not only increase the transverse flow velocity of the plasma gas in the horizontal plasma generation chamber, allowing it to smoothly enter the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber, but also effectively prevent the carbon source gas in the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber from entering the horizontal plasma generation chamber through the transverse plasma gas inlet, thereby preventing backflow.
[0039] 4) This utility model also installs the carbon source gas inlet below the horizontal plasma gas inlet of the vertical carbon tube growth chamber. Under vertical flow conditions, the plasma gas introduced through the horizontal plasma gas inlet above can further prevent the reverse backflow of the carbon source gas below.
[0040] 5) The vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber of this utility model has a discharge port designed at the bottom. The generated single-walled carbon nanotubes and the airflow are discharged from the discharge port at the bottom of the growth chamber. Since the discharge at the bottom is in the same direction as the gravity of the material, the resistance of the discharge is reduced, making it less likely for single-walled carbon nanotubes to remain in the reactor. At the same time, a smaller gas velocity can be set in the reactor to optimize the production process or save raw material gas. Attached Figure Description
[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the single-walled carbon nanotube reactor structure of this utility model;
[0042] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-section of the single-walled carbon nanotube reactor of this utility model;
[0043] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the carbon source gas inlet installation in another example of this utility model;
[0044] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Front view of a single-walled carbon nanotube reactor;
[0045] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A top view of a single-walled carbon nanotube reactor. Detailed Implementation
[0046] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. This utility model can also be implemented or applied through specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this utility model.
[0047] like Figure 1As shown, the single-walled carbon nanotube generator of this invention includes a horizontal plasma generation chamber 1 and a vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2, which are independent of each other and have reversed flow directions. The horizontal plasma generation chamber 1 has a longitudinal sidewall 11, a hollow graphite cathode 12, and a crucible 13 containing a catalyst. The catalyst can also enter the horizontal plasma generation chamber 1 through a hollow pipe in the hollow graphite cathode 12. The longitudinal sidewall 11 has a transverse plasma gas outlet 111, thus forming a transverse airflow within the horizontal plasma generation chamber 1. The hollow graphite cathode 12 is installed through the top wall of the horizontal plasma generation chamber 1, with its lower section extending into the chamber. The crucible 13 is located at the bottom of the horizontal plasma generation chamber 1, and the anode is located outside the chamber and connected to the crucible 13 (not shown). The hollow graphite cathode 12 and the crucible 13 connected to the anode are positioned at a certain distance to generate an electric arc.
[0048] In this example, continue as follows Figures 2-5 As shown, the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2 has a longitudinal sidewall 21 and an outlet 22 installed at the bottom of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2. The upper part of the longitudinal sidewall 21 also has a plasma gas transverse inlet 211 and a carbon source gas inlet 212. The upper plasma gas transverse inlet 211 and carbon source gas inlet 212, together with the outlet 22 at the bottom, form a vertical airflow within the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2. The upper part of the longitudinal sidewall 21 of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2 is also connected to the longitudinal sidewall 11 of the horizontal plasma generating chamber 1, and the horizontal plasma generating chamber 1 and the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2 are interconnected through the plasma gas transverse outlet 11 and the plasma gas transverse inlet 21 on the longitudinal sidewall, respectively. In other words, the horizontal plasma generation chamber 1 and the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2 are connected and arranged in a figure-7 shape, while an airflow separation is formed between the two chambers, creating horizontal and vertical airflows respectively. This greatly prevents the backflow of carbon source gas into the horizontal plasma generation chamber 1 during production, thus slowing down the formation of carbon deposits within it. The carbon source gas inlet 212 is installed on the longitudinal side wall 21 of the growth chamber below the horizontal plasma gas inlet 211. In a vertical flow environment, the plasma gas introduced through the upper horizontal plasma gas inlet 211 can also prevent the reverse backflow of the lower carbon source gas. Of course, there can be one or more carbon source gas inlets 212, and a carbon source gas inlet 212 can also be connected to the longitudinal side wall 21 of the growth chamber of the above-mentioned vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2 by setting multiple air flow inlets, wherein the multiple air flow inlets can be evenly spaced at the same height of the longitudinal side wall 21 of the growth chamber; or the multiple carbon source gas inlets 212 can be evenly spaced at the same height of the longitudinal side wall 21 of the growth chamber.
[0049] Continue as Figure 3As shown, the multiple carbon source gas inlets 212 can also be arranged in a downward-sloping configuration forming an angle α with the vertical axis. The carbon source gas entering from the multiple inlets 212 converges downwards at the central axis, creating a downward thrust between the airflows to further prevent backflow of the carbon source gas. Further, α is an acute angle, preferably 30°≤α≤75°, such as α being 35°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 55°, 60°, 65°, 70°, etc. In addition, continuing as... Figure 2 As shown, the transverse plasma gas outlet 11 is a funnel-shaped opening with a gradually decreasing cross-sectional area, wherein the included angle of the funnel is 30°≤β≤60°. On the one hand, this not only increases the transverse flow velocity of the plasma gas in the transverse plasma generation chamber 1, allowing it to smoothly enter the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2 to participate in the reaction; on the other hand, it also effectively prevents the carbon source gas in the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2 from flowing back through the aforementioned funnel opening and forming a backflow. Continuing as... Figure 2 As shown, the discharge port 22 is a shared outlet for carbon nanotubes and exhaust gas, installed at the bottom of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2. Compared to the existing top discharge, bottom discharge aligns with the direction of gravity acting on the material, reducing discharge resistance. This makes it less likely for the prepared single-walled carbon nanotubes to remain in the reactor; furthermore, a lower gas velocity can be set within the reactor to optimize the production process or conserve raw material gas. In addition, the middle section of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber 2 is a heating wall, which provides the reaction temperature for the growth chamber during preparation.
[0050] In this paper, the growth chamber and the generation chamber are both chambers in the single-walled carbon nanotube generator used for growing single-walled carbon nanotubes by carbon source vapor deposition.
[0051] The present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the present invention based on the above description. Therefore, certain details in the embodiments should not be construed as limiting the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention shall be defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A single-walled carbon nanotube reactor, characterized in that, The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor comprises a relatively independent, flow-directed horizontal plasma generation chamber and a vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber: The horizontal plasma generating chamber has a longitudinal sidewall, and the longitudinal sidewall has a transverse plasma gas outlet; The vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a longitudinal sidewall, and the longitudinal sidewall has a transverse plasma gas inlet. The plasma gas lateral outlet is connected to the plasma gas lateral inlet.
2. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plasma gas has a flared, funnel-shaped outlet with a gradually decreasing cross-sectional area.
3. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The included angle of the flared outlet is 60°≤β≤120°.
4. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The longitudinal sidewall of the growth chamber is surface-mounted with the longitudinal sidewall of the generation chamber.
5. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The upper part of the longitudinal sidewall of the growth chamber is connected to the longitudinal sidewall of the generation chamber.
6. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a carbon source gas inlet on its longitudinal side wall.
7. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The carbon source gas inlet is connected to the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber through multiple airflow inlets.
8. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Multiple airflow inlets are evenly spaced at the same height on the longitudinal sidewall of the growth chamber.
9. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal plasma generation chamber and the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber are arranged in a figure-7 shape. The airflow in the horizontal plasma generation chamber is horizontal, and the airflow in the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber is vertical.
10. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The bottom of the vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a discharge port.
11. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The discharge port is a shared outlet for both carbon nanotubes and exhaust gas.
12. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal plasma generation chamber has the following features: A hollow graphite cathode is installed through the top wall of the horizontal plasma generating chamber, with its lower section extending into the chamber. A crucible is located at the bottom of the horizontal plasma generating chamber. The anode is located outside the horizontal plasma generating chamber and connected to the crucible. The hollow graphite cathode is positioned at a certain distance from the crucible to generate an electric arc.
13. The single-walled carbon nanotube reactor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The vertical carbon nanotube growth chamber has a heating wall in the middle.