Tailoring the enhancement of the surface area of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is significant because it directly improves their adsorption capacity, catalytic activity, and electrochemical performance, which are essential for applications in energy storage, environmental remediation, and sensing. In this study, the Taguchi L9 orthogonal array was adopted for the first time to optimize the surface area synthesis of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in a CVD reactor at various ranges of acetylene gas flow rate, argon gas flow rate, catalyst support, and reaction time. The optimum surface area of 1240 m2/g was reported using Brunauer-Emett-Teller (BET) at the acetylene gas flow rate (300 mL/min), argon gas flow rate (200 mL/min), catalyst support (0.5 g), and reaction time (800 ℃). The X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal electron microscopy (SEM) depicted the elemental, crystallographic, tubular network and microstructural network of carbon nanotubes. By optimizing surface area during synthesis, MWCNTs can be customized for specific industrial needs, leading to more efficient, cost-effective, and high-performance solutions across sectors such as electronics, water treatment, and renewable energy.
