Patent ID: 7261779

Claim:
A system for producing single-walled carbon nanotubes, comprising: a continuous operation, flow-through reactor having an initial region, a plasma stabilization region, and a product formation region; continuously supplying feedstock to the initial region of the reactor to generate a continuous stream of carbon plasma from the feedstock, the carbon plasma being formed by electrical resistance heating of the feedstock, comprising: continuously feeding the feedstock over two oppositely-charged electrodes while passing low voltage, high current, electric power through the feedstock, such that the feedstock is rapidly resistance-heated, the electric power being regulated by feedback control for measuring a temperature of the feedstock to maintain a peak temperature of approximately 3000° C.; stabilizing the carbon plasma in a vapor phase in the plasma stabilization region with radio frequency energy by controlling a power and a frequency of the radio frequency energy, such that the carbon plasma is stabilized for homogenization of a reactant mixture and transport of a high concentration of the carbon plasma to the product formation region; and forming a product by depositing the reactant mixture in the product formation region.