Single-walled carbon nanotube synthesis using Pt catalysts under low ethanol pressure via cold-wall chemical vapor deposition in high vacuum

Abstract

We study single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) growth from Pt catalysts by a cold-wall chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method in a high vacuum using a nozzle injector for the ethanol gas supply. By optimizing the ethanol pressure, we could grow SWCNTs between 330 and 700 °C, and the optimal ethanol pressure to obtain the highest SWCNT yield was reduced as the growth temperature decreased. Using transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements, we determined the diameters and chirality distribution of the SWCNTs and showed that the grown SWCNTs have a narrow chirality distribution and that the diameters of most SWCNTs were below 1.0 nm. In addition, based on the size distribution and the chemical states of Pt catalyst particles, we proposed a growth model of the SWCNTs.