Process for producing a carbon nanostructure

Abstract

This invention provides a method for forming a catalyst layer for carbon nanostructure growth, which can eliminate the influence of water in a liquid for catalyst layer formation, can grow homogeneous and highly oriented carbon nanostructures over the whole area of a substrate and can realize mass production of the carbon nanostructures, and a liquid for catalyst layer formation for use in the method, and a process for producing carbon nanostructures using the catalyst layer formed by the method. The catalyst layer for use in the production of CNTs is formed by preparing a catalyst metal salt solution of a catalyst metal-containing metal compound (a catalyst metal salt) dispersed or dissolved in a solvent having an ample wettability towards the substrate and coating the catalyst metal salt solution onto the substrate to a form a thin film. The thin film is then heat treated to form a catalyst layer. The substrate with the dried catalyst layer formed thereon is introduced into a carbon nanostructure synthetic device, and CNTs are grown by a thermal CVD method.