Mono-sized carbon nanotubes in AFI crystal

We report an alternative approach to the synthesis of mono-sized and well-aligned single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNs). The nanotubes are accommodated in I-nm-sized channels of porous aluminophosphate crystal by pyrolysis of tripropylamine molecules in the channels. They are characterized through transmission electron microscopy and polarized Micro-Raman scattering. Electrical transport measurements showed that the SWCN is an intrinsic semiconductor with band-gap energy of about 50 meV. The fabrication of monosized SWCNs in three-dimensional ordered and nano-sized channels represents an important step towards the development and applications of carbon nanotube materials