Time-resolved intrinsic reaction rate of catalytic vapor deposition of methane into carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and hydrogen on supported Ni catalysts was determined under different reaction temperatures (773-973 K) and feed compositions (PH2 = 0-0.29 atm, P-CH4 = 0.211-0.71 atm) and the microstructure of the produced CNFs was characterized by Raman and TEM. The results showed that, increasing the reaction temperature, methane partial pressure and decreasing hydrogen partial pressure increased the initial reaction rate but generally led to fast catalyst deactivation. A high carbon yield per unit catalyst was obtained as a compromise between initial reaction rate and catalyst deactivation rate. The microstructures of the produced CNFs had a close relationship with the initial reaction rate. The CNFs produced with high initial rate tended to have a small angle between the graphene layers and the growth axis, thin diameter and a hollow core. This phenomenon can be used for monitoring and controlling the CNFs synthesis process.

Carbon Nanofibers; Growth Rate; Deactivation; Crystal Size; Microstructure

--