Preparation of single-walled carbon nanotubes from fullerene waste soot

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were successfully prepared from fullerene waste soot (FWS) by the arc discharge method in a helium atmosphere. The yield of the as-prepared SWCNTs reached as high as 6 g/h, indicating a great potential for further large scale production. FWS-based SWCNTs were systematically examined using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the as-obtained SWCNTs have an extraordinary crystalline integrity with a diameter of 1.2-2.2 nm. Compared with the SWCNTs synthesized from graphite under the same experimental conditions, it was found that FWS as feedstock for synthesis of SWCNTs was more efficient due to its higher reactivity in the electric arc discharge environment. The possible mechanism involved in the formation process of SWCNTs from FWS is proposed and discussed in terms of its turbostratic structure with pentagonal defects and the process parameters adopted in the study.