ALIGNED CARBON NANOTUBE BULK AGGREGATES, PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF THE SAME AND USES THEREOF

摘要

An aligned carbon nanotube bulk structure characterized by consisting of carbon nanotubes aligned in a prescribed direction and having a density of 0.2 to 1.5g/cm³. The bulk aggregate can be produced by a process of growing carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in the presence of a metal catalyst which comprises growing carbon nanotubes in an aligned state in a reaction atmosphere, soaking the obtained carbon nanotubes with a liquid, and then drying the resulting nanotubes. Thus, an aligned carbon nanotube bulk aggregate having a density of 0.2 to 1.5g/cm³ can be obtained. The invention provides an aligned carbon nanotube bulk aggregate having a high density and a high hardness which were not attained in the prior art; and a process for the production of the same.