Effect of citric acid to carbon nanotube growth

Carbon nanotube (CNT) was synthesized by catalytic chemical vapor deposition using LaNiO3 as the catalyst precursor, where LaNiO3 was prepared by citric acid complexometry. The results show that the catalyst precursors prepared with different citric acid dosages could all grow CNT, but the CNT yield and patterns obtained with these catalyst precursors were different. Different citric acid dosages could result in different (111) crystal face contents of Ni particle in the catalysts (the products obtained from catalyst precursors reduced by the H2) and thus affected the CNT yield and patterns, which is the result of the complexation between the carboxyl (came from citric acid) and metal ions in lower temperature (80 deg. C) during the catalyst precursor preparation.