Systems and methods of making carbon nanotubes

Abstract

A method of producing a carbon nanotube may include heating a convergent flow nozzle and a flow chamber of a carbon nanotube reactor, flowing a vaporized reactant stream through the nozzle and collecting a carbon nanotube product from an outlet of a heated flow chamber disposed downstream of the heated convergent flow nozzle. The vaporized reactant stream may include a carbon nanotube nucleation carbon source, a carbon nanotube growth carbon source, and a carbon nanotube catalyst precursor. The nozzle may have a nozzle contraction ratio of from 3:1 to 300:1.