The above image is scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrograph by National Institute for Materials Science showing a cladophora-form carbon particle and below a tunneling electron microscope (TEM) image of a carbon nanomaterial portion of a cladophora-form carbon particle.
The cladophora-form carbon when used as strength reinforcing, electronic, electromagnetic absorbent, catalyst or optical materials, can exhibit properties for their individual purposes that are very uniform in contrast to those with the conventional carbon nano-materials which are not spherical in shape. The cladophora-form carbon fine spherical particle has fibrous or filamentary carbon nano-materials radially grown from a fine diamond catalytic particle as a core can be used as strength reinforcing, electronic, electromagnetic absorbent, catalyst and optical materials to exhibit properties for their individual purposes, which are uniform.
The fine particle has no anisotropy in shape. Thus, if the fine particle is utilized as a catalyst carrier, there is no anisotropy in the amount in which catalyst active species is carried, and the catalytic reaction is uniform. Alternatively, if such particles are utilized to form a strength reinforcing material, it has no anisotropy brought above in mechanical strength since each such particle has no anisotropy in shape.
U.S. Patent 7,608,331 reveals the method of and the apparatus for manufacturing a cladophora-form at a reduced cost and in a large quantity. If the transition metal catalyst used in the manufacturing process is Ni or Co then carbon nanotubes will form. Alternatively, if the transition metal catalyst is Pd, then resulting carbon nanomaterials are coin stacked carbon nano-graphite materials. The catalytic reaction temperature at which the carbon nano-materials are synthesized is preferably a temperature ranging between 400.degree. C. and 600.degree. C.
