Chemical vapour deposition of single walled carbon nanotubes freely suspended over nanotube supports

Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) suspended above the substrate can be fabricated simply and rapidly by chemical vapour deposition growth over pre-grown multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). SWNTs are suspended either on a randomly organized carbon nanotube network on an unpatterned substrate, or between organized pillars made from vertically aligned nanotube forests on a patterned substrate. All nanotubes are produced during a single growth run using a two step growth technique. This approach enables the fabrication of laterally suspended SWNT networks which are well suited for optical applications.