Controllable growth of single walled CNTs using nanotemplates from diblock copolymers

Abstract

AbstractWe use diblock copolymers as nanotemplates to produce various catalyst nanoclusters or catalyst-containing inorganic nanostructures with controlled size and spacing for carbon nanotube growth. We are able to generate periodically ordered catalytic nanostructures by spin coating polymer-based catalyst systems. As a result, uniformly distributed, low defect density single walled nanotubes(CNTs) have been obtained. CNTs with diameters of 1nm or less have been produced from iron-containing inorganic nanostructures using conventional chemical vapor deposition. The superior film forming ability of polymer-based catalyst systems enables selective growth of carbon nanotubes on lithographically predefined catalyst islands over a large surface area. The ability to control the density and location of CNTs offers great potential for practical applications. The initial MALDI-MS (Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Mass Spectrometry) results indicate that we can positively identify bovine serum albumin (BSA) at 500 attomoles using CNT surfaces produced by this method.