Facile Preparation of Fe Mo Impregnated Catalyst for Carbon Nanotube Synthesis from Eucalyptus Oil

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes were produced via co-pyrolysis of a carbon source and catalytic metal nanoparticles. Utilization of molybdenum to iron impregnated catalyst was found to provide carbon nanotubes with superior graphitic carbon content at rather low pyrolysis temperature and higher CNT yield. In this work, a facile method to obtain Fe Mo impregnated catalyst was introduced, and eucalyptus oil was employed as main carbon source with an aim of utilizing bio-based and renewable feedstock. After impregnation and drying steps, ferrocene impregnated with molybdenum was employed for CNT synthesis without any further treatment. Repeated experimental results using Fe Mo impregnated catalyst revealed that CNT yield could be increased from 0.269 to 0.404 kg/kg when pyrolysis temperature was increased from 800 to 900 °C. Based on SEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopic analyses, CNTs obtained from Fe Mo impregnated catalyst possessed higher graphitic content when compared to those obtained from pure ferrocene only. These results reveal a promising way to utilize FeMo impregnated catalyst for effective valorization of eucalyptus oil to produce CNTs.