Selective Growth of Single-, Double-, and Triple-Walled Carbon Nanotubes through Precise Control of Catalyst Diameter by Radiation-Heated Chemical Vapor Deposition

Radiation-heated chemical vapor deposition (RHCVD) is a newly developed process which enables the maintenance of narrow catalyst diameter distributions until carbon nanotubes (CNTs) start growing and the synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT), and triple-walled carbon nanotube (TWCNT) films by changing catalyst diameters. The proportions of specific walled CNTs/as-grown CNTs are as follows: SWCNT/CNT ratio of 100%, DWCNT/CNT ratio of 88% and TWCNT/CNT ratio of 76%. It is clarified that CNT diameter and the number of graphene walls of CNTs are proportional to catalyst diameter.