Magnetically induced changes in diameter and deposition rate of single-walled carbon nanotubes in arc discharge

Abstract

A high magnetic field of 10 T was applied to the synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by arc discharge in order to control the morphological properties, e.g., diameter, and to improve the deposition rate. The deposition rate of carbonaceous deposits increased by one order of magnitude under a magnetic field of 10 T owing to magnetically induced effects. The average diameter of the SWCNTs also increased to about 1.3 nm with the magnetic field, which was about 1.5 times larger than the average diameter of about 0.8 nm without the magnetic field. This indicates that the morphology and deposition rate of the carbon nanotubes can be controlled by applying a high magnetic field during arc processing. The effects of a magnetic field on the control of carbon nanotube fabrication are explained in terms of electromagnetic effects on the dense arc plasma with high energy, not spin-associated effects on nanotube formation.