A new technique for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes from coal is introduc
ed in this paper. In this process, coal is selected as the raw material to
injected into plasma jet directly, nanotubes are formed on the reactor wall
. The metal elements contained in parent coal such as Cu, Al act as the cat
alyst. This technique is different from the traditional arc discharge proce
ss and has the advantages of easy and steady operation and low cost of raw
material, so it is an attractive process.