Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Carbon Nanotubes
A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Crystalline Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Carbon nanotubes are a modern material, with the earliest reports dating back to 1991. They can be prepared using a range of technologies, and the source of carbon may be graphite, carbon monoxide or various hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, methanol, ethanol, ethylene, acetylene, benzene), or some condensed aromates. CNT synthesis faces at least two difficulties. The first problem is the optimization of the conditions of the technology. For instance, in the case of CVD technology, these include the choice of the source and a proper selection of at least 15 technological parameters, such as the temperature and pressure regimes, gas throughput, temperature of tungsten filaments, plasma voltage and current, and the time of deposition. The second task is the optimum selection of a catalyst. The palette of substances applicable for CNT catalysis includes mainly Fe, Co and Ni, and intermetallic compounds of these metals. Activity has been reported for other metals, such as Pd, Cu, Ag, Au, Rh, Al, Mn, Zn, Mo, Cr, and Ru. Co-catalysts, too, play an interesting role in the synthesis of CNTs. Catalytically active metals from sources such as minerals and mining wastes are also being explored as alternatives to synthetic catalysts used in the production of carbon nanotubes.
This Special Issue of Crystals, on the topic "Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Carbon Nanotubes", aims to summarize the progress achieved in these fields over the past five years. Not only is the progress being made in the use of CNT-based nanocomposites interesting, so too is the progress in our understanding of the morphology and diversity of shapes and structures of carbon nanotubes, depending on the substrate material that supports the catalytically active metal.
Dr. Magdalena Kadlecikova
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
- nanocomposites
- metal catalyst
- minerals
- mine waste
- Raman spectroscopy
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