Patent ID: 7470418

Claim:
A method for producing a fibrous carbon characterized by stacking of carbon hexagonal planes having one or double directional growth axis, wherein (1) carbon content is more than 95 wt %; (2) the diameters range from 3.5 to 79.0 nm; (3) the aspect ratio (length per diameter) is more than 20; and (4) the carbon hexagonal planes align perpendicular to the fiber axis with no continuous hollow core therein, the method comprising: using carbon black-supported metal mixture or alloy catalysts, wherein the metal mixtures or alloys comprise nickel as a major catalyst, and iron or molybdenum as secondary metals; the carbon black is characterized by less than 100 m 2 /g BET-surface area, 20-60 nm particle size, and more than 10 wt % oxygen content; and the carbon black-supported catalyst contains 0.1-60 wt % metal mixture or alloy per carbon black; and reducing the catalyst 1-3 times in a furnace in gas containing 5-40 v/v % hydrogen in inert gases such as nitrogen, argon or helium at 400-500° C. for 1-48 h; and introducing a carbon source into a furnace at the flow rate of 0.5-40 sccm per 1 mg catalyst, where the carbon source comprises hydrocarbons containing 2-6 carbon atoms or mixtures of aforementioned hydrocarbons and hydrogen.