Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes at Low Temperatures. Nano Lett

We report surface-bound growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) at temperatures as low as 350 °C by catalytic chemical vapor deposition from undiluted C2H2. NH3 or H2 exposure critically facilitates the nanostructuring and activation of sub-nanometer Fe and Al/Fe/Al multilayer catalyst films prior to growth, enabling the SWNT nucleation at lower temperatures. We suggest that carbon nanotube growth is governed by the catalyst surface without the necessity of catalyst liquefaction. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been a driving force for current advances in nanotechnology, both on an applied and on a fundamental level. Single-wall carbon nanotubes have shown the highest Young’s modulus and highest axial thermal conductivity of any solid. Moreover, SWNTs have the highest current carrying capacity of any conductor, which makes them an attractive electronic, sensing, or heat sinking material for nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS) and future (hybrid) integrated circuitry.1,2 Defect-free SWNT synthesis is generally thought to requir