Hot wire chemical vapor deposition of isolated carbon single-walled nanotubes

Hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) has been employed for the continuous generation of carbon single-walled nanotube (SWNT) materials. Interestingly, transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed only the presence of isolated SWNTs, rather than nanotubes existing in bundles. An analysis of the growth mechanism explaining the production of isolated SWNTs is provided. Also, the Raman radial breathing modes (RBMs) of the isolated HWCVD-generated nanotubes are compared to the RBMs of small bundles of nanotubes deposited by a conventional CVD technique having a similar diameter distribution.