Production apparatus for carbon nanohorn aggregate

Abstract

In order to provide an apparatus for industrially producing a fibrous carbon nanohorn aggregate (CNB), the apparatus comprises: a target holding unit holding a carbon target in sheet form containing a metal catalyst such as Fe; a light source irradiating a laser beam on a surface of the carbon target; a movement unit moving one of the target held by the target holding unit and the light source relative to the other to move the irradiation position of the laser beam on the surface of the target; a production chamber configured to irradiate the carbon target with the laser beam in an atmosphere of non-oxidizing gas to produce a product including the fibrous carbon nanohorn aggregate; a collection mechanism collecting carbon vapor evaporated from the target by irradiation of the laser beam to collect nanocarbon including the fibrous carbon nanohorn aggregate; and a control unit controlling an operation of the movement unit or the light source so that the power density of the laser beam irradiated to the surface of the carbon target is substantially constant, and the irradiation position of the laser beam is moved to a region adjacent to a region previously irradiated by the laser beam, an interval being formed therebetween that is equal to or larger than the width of an altered region formed on the periphery of the region irradiated by the laser beam.