Abstract Submitted to the ; NANOTUBE'05 Conference:

Long amorphous carbon nanotubes ropes were prepared by a modified arc-discharging furnace[1], which can control temperature from room temperature to 900℃ during the electric arcing process. There are sixφ10×100mm2 graphite rode anode with aφ6×80mm2 hole drilled in them which was filled with a mixture powders of Co-Ni alloy. The six anodes are mounted at an equal distance from each other on a wheel, which can be rotated in order to change the active anode. In our experiments: an arc was generated between the anode and the pure graphite cathode at a current of 100A in a 500 torr of hydrogen atmosphere. The distance between the electrodes was maintained at ~2mm by continuously feeding the cathode throughout the arc process. We observed the ropes formed around cathode and films on the inner wall of the chamber. The results indicate that temperature plays an important role in the formation of these ropes and the purity of the long carbon nanotubes ropes. The normal processes of synthesizing amorphous carbon nanotubes(arc discharge and chemical vapor deposition) can obtain the soot, which the typical morphology is powders[2]. We report that long amorphous carbon nanotube ropes, up to twenty-one centimeters in length and two to five micrometers in width and macroscopic films can be synthesized in hydrogen atmosphere at 650℃ by an arc discharging furnace at controlled temperature.
In summary, long amorphous carbon nanotubes ropes was obtained and the mechanism of long amorphous carbon nanotubes ropes was explained also in this paper.

References
[1] Y.N. Liu, X.L. Song. An electric arc furnace for producing carbon nanotube. Patent No.: 01240373.3 2002 (China).
[2] L.J. Ci, H.W. Zhu, et al., Applied Surface Science 205 (2003) 39.