Growth of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes below 450 °C Using Cobalt Catalyst

Abstract

The growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by chemical vapor deposition using a carbon-rod filament was performed at low temperatures of below 450 °C. Ethanol vapor was used as the carbon source. By heating a cobalt film used as a catalyst at 450 °C in a gaseous mixture of argon and 3% hydrogen beforehand, it was possible to grow SWCNTs even below 400 °C. The proportion of metallic SWCNTs increased with decreasing growth temperature below 400 °C. This may be because SWCNTs grow from cobalt nanoparticles in the solid phase at such low temperatures.