Patent ID: 7763231

Claim:
A method of producing carbon nanotubes, comprising: (a) generating a stream of carbon plasma in a plasma generating region of a reactor from a feedstock; (b) flowing the stream of carbon plasma from the plasma generating region to and through a stabilizing region and applying electromagnetic energy to the carbon plasma while flowing through the stabilizing region by controlling a power and a frequency of the electromagnetic energy supplied to the stabilizing region in order to stabilize the carbon plasma in a vapor phase; (c) exposing the carbon plasma to a transition metal catalyst to create carbon nanotubes; (d) flowing an inert gas through the reactor and out a nozzle of the reactor while performing steps (a)-(c); and (e) entraining the carbon nanotubes in the flow of inert gas and spraying the carbon nanotubes through the nozzle onto a workpiece outside of the reactor.