Carbon nanotube growth from semiconductor nanoparticles.

Takagi, Daisuke; Hibino, Hiroki; Suzuki, Satoru; Kobayashi, Yoshihiro; Homma, Yoshikazu · Nano Lett · 2007

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Nanoscale metal catalysts have been indispensable for carbon nanotube (CNT) synthesis by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). We show that even semiconductor nanoparicles of SiC, Ge, and Si produce single-walled and double-walled CNTs in CVD with ethanol. This implies that nanosize structures might act as a template for the formation of CNT caps composed of five- and six-membered rings. Providing a template for cap formation is the essential role of the catalysts.

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