Nucleation of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes from Faceted Pt Catalyst Particles Revealed by in Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy

Revealing the nucleation and growth mechanism of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) from faceted solid catalysts is crucial to the control of their structure and properties. However, due to the small size and complex growth environment, the early stages and dynamic process of SWCNT nucleation have rarely been directly revealed, especially under atmospheric conditions. Here, we report the atomic-resolved nucleation of SWCNTs from the faces of truncated octahedral Pt catalysts under atmospheric pressure using a transmission electron microscope equipped with a gas-cell. It was found that the graphene layers were initially formed preferentially on (111) surfaces, which then joined together to form an annular belt and a hemispherical cap, followed by the elongation of the SWCNT. Based on the observations, an annular belt assembly nucleation model and a possible chirality control mechanism are proposed for SWCNTs grown from well-faceted Pt catalysts, which provides useful guidance for the controlled synthesis of SWCNTs by catalyst design.