Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess unique properties which make them competitive with conventional catalyst supports. This short review collates findings from many research groups on the benefits of palladium/carbon nanotubes in hydrogenation reactions. The effects of modifixsed CNTs and bimetallic platinum group metal (pgm) catalyst/CNT systems for hydrogenation reactions are also discussed.

The effects of heteroatom‐containing ferrocene catalysts on the materials produced from chemical vapour deposition (CVD) floating catalyst synthesis were investigated. Specifically, the influence of nitrogen‐ and oxygen‐containing ferrocenoyl imidazolide and (N‐phenylcarbamoyl)ferrocene, and sulfur‐ and oxygen‐containing S,S‐bis(ferrocenylmethyl)dithiocarbonate on the structural morphology and distribution of the products as well as properties such as the thermal stability and crystallinity were studied. In addition, the influence of reaction parameters such as catalyst concentration and temperature were also investigated. The nitrogen‐containing catalysts produced N‐doped multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (N‐MWCNTs), whereas the sulfur‐containing catalyst produced primarily nano‐ and microspheres. A concentration of 2.5 wt% ferrocenoyl imidazolide was shown to be optimal for the synthesis of MWCNTs at 850 °C, with very low metal iron residue, highest thermal stability and highest yield (95%). In general, bamboo compartment length for N‐doped MWCNTs increased with temperature. Crystallinity trends were shown to be independent of catalyst and catalyst concentration in all cases and only dependent on temperature. The average diameter for MWCNTs was shown to be dependent on temperature, choice of catalyst and catalyst concentration in all cases. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.