Patent ID: 7763230

Claim:
A method for producing carbon nanotubes, wherein said method comprises: a. combining metallorganic precursor molecules, at least one of which is of the formula [Fe 2 (C 5 H 5 ) 2 (CO) 4 ], with an organic hydrocarbon solvent in a mixture; and b. injecting said mixture in the form of droplets into a reactor tube; and c. transporting the droplets to a first temperature region of the reactor tube; and d. at least partially vaporizing the organic hydrocarbon solvent from the mixture droplets; and e. transporting said at least partially vaporized solvent and the metallorganic precursor molecules to a second temperature region of the reactor tube which is at a higher temperature than the first region; and f. thermally decomposing the metallorganic precursor molecules into at least metal atoms and carbon atoms; and g. depositing one or more clusters of metal atoms on a surface within the second temperature region; and h. chemically attaching carbon atoms to the metal atoms of the one or more clusters so as to form one or more carbon nanotubes.