High-precision solid catalysts for investigation of carbon nanotube synthesis and structure.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32998901.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abb6010 and PMC identifier 7527216.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The direct growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with narrow chiral distribution remains elusive despite substantial benefits in properties and applications. Nanoparticle catalysts are vital for SWCNT and more generally nanomaterial synthesis, but understanding their effect is limited. Solid catalysts show promise in achieving chirality-controlled growth, but poor size control and synthesis efficiency hampers advancement. Here, we demonstrate the first synthesis of refractory metal nanoparticles (W, Mo, and Re) with near-monodisperse sizes. High concentrations (<i>N</i> = 10<sup>5</sup> to 10<sup>7</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup>) of nanoparticles (diameter 1 to 5 nm) are produced and reduced in a single process, enabling SWCNT synthesis with controlled chiral angles of 19° ± 5°, demonstrating abundance >93%. These results confirm the interface thermodynamics and kinetic growth theory mechanism, which has been extended here to include temporal dependence of fast-growing chiralities. The solid catalysts are further shown effective via floating catalyst growth, offering efficient production possibilities.