Chemical vapor deposition of methane for single-walled carbon nanotubes

We report the synthesis of high-quality single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of methane at 1000°C on supported Fe2O3 catalysts. The type of catalyst support is found to control the formation of individual or bundled SWNTs. Catalysts supported on crystalline alumina nanoparticles produce abundant individual SWNTs and small bundles. Catalysts supported by amorphous silica particles produce only SWNT bundles. Studies of the ends of SWNTs lead to an understanding of their growth mechanism. Also, we present the results of methane CVD on supported NiO, CoO and NiO/CoO catalysts.