Abstract
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are synthesized by the arc discharge method in He gas, where three directions of discharge current relative to gravity are selected and their production rates are compared. The soot production rate for the upward discharge current is larger than those for the horizontal and downward discharge currents. Also, the qualities of the produced SWNTs for the three cases are almost the same. The effect of a steady magnetic field (3.0 mT) perpendicular to the discharge current direction (J×B arc discharge) is also examined. This magnetic field increases the soot production rate for all three discharge current directions. The estimated ratio of the number of SWNT bundles to the number of carbon particles is higher for the upward discharge current in the case of B = 0. This ratio increases significantly for the horizontal and downward discharge currents when a magnetic field is applied.