Article abstract


Nature Nanotechnology 1, 131 - 136 (2006)
Published online: 3 November 2006 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2006.95

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Synthesis and processing

Size-selective growth of double-walled carbon nanotube forests from engineered iron catalysts

Takeo Yamada1, Tatsunori Namai1, Kenji Hata1, Don N. Futaba1, Kohei Mizuno1, Jing Fan2, Masako Yudasaka2,3, Motoo Yumura1 & Sumio Iijima1


We have succeeded in synthesizing vertically aligned doubled-walled carbon nanotube (DWNT) forests with heights of up to 2.2 mm by water-assisted chemical vapour deposition (CVD). We achieved 85% selectivity of DWNTs through a semi-empirical analysis of the relationships between the tube type and mean diameter and between the mean diameter and the film thickness of sputtered Fe, which was used here as a catalyst. Accordingly, catalysts were engineered for optimum DWNT selectivity by precisely controlling the Fe film thickness. The high efficiency of water-assisted CVD enabled the synthesis of nearly catalyst-free DWNT forests with a carbon purity of 99.95%, which could be templated into organized structures from lithographically patterned catalyst islands.

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  1. Research Center for Advanced Carbon Materials, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565, Japan
  2. Japan Science and Technology Agency, 34 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8501, Japan
  3. NEC Corporation, 34 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8501, Japan

Correspondence to: Kenji Hata1 e-mail: kenji-hata@aist.go.jp

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