There is provided a method of manufacturing a
carbon nanotube so as to be able to increase the yield of a web and to increase the amount of a
carbon nanotube contained in the web. A high-energy heat source is caused to act on carbon in the presence of catalysts. The catalysts include a main catalyst made of at least one
metal which is selected from the group consisting of an
iron group element, a
platinum group element, and a
rare earth element, and an auxiliary catalyst made of a material which causes an
exothermic reaction in a process of generating the web including the
carbon nanotube. The auxiliary catalyst is made of a material for generating a
carbide more stable in terms of
thermal energy than a
carbide generated by the main catalyst. The free formation energy of the
carbide generated from the material is smaller than the free formation energy of the carbide generated by the main catalyst. The main catalyst is made of at least one
metal which is selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co, Ni, Rh, Ru, Pd, Pt, Y, La, and Ce. The auxiliary catalyst is made of at least one material selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, B, Al, and Si. Typically the main catalyst is made of Ni-Y, and the auxiliary catalyst is made of Ti.