Theoretical Descriptions of Carbon Nanotubes Synthesis in a Chemical Vapor Deposition Reactor: A Review

The mechanisms by which carbon nanotubes nucleate and grow are still poorly understood. Understanding and mathematically describing the process is crucial for its optimization. This paper reviews different models which have been proposed to explain carbon nanotube growth in the chemical vapor deposition process. The review is divided into two sections, the first section describes some nucleation, growth and termination simulations based on molecular dynamics, and the second section describes some mathematical models based on transport and kinetics theories