Catalyst design using nanoporous iron for the chemical vapor deposition synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been synthesized via a novel chemical vapor deposition (CVD) approach utilizing nanoporous, iron-supported catalysts. Stable aqueous dispersions of the CVD-grown nanotubes using an anionic surfactant were also obtained. The properties of the as-produced SWNTs were characterized through atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy and compared with purified SWNTs produced via the high-pressure CO (HiPCO) method as a reference, and the nanotubes were observed with greater lengths than those of similarly processed HiPCO SWNTs. © 2013 Tarek M. Abdel-Fattah et al.