Control of Magnetic Properties of Carbon Nanotubes Filled with Iron

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) filled with iron nanowires show high coercivity owing to their shape anisotropy originating from the high-aspect-ratio shapes of the iron nanowires. In this study, CNTs filled with iron were prepared by the thermal chemical vapor deposition (T-CVD) method using ferrocene as a precursor, and the magnetic properties of the synthesized CNTs were examined in detail. It was found that the CVD temperature and the amount of the ferrocene introduced into the CVD reactor influence the amount of CNT growth and the magnetic properties. The high coercivity of approximately 1.6 kOe or higher was obtained under certain CVD conditions. The selected-area electron diffraction analysis showed that the magnetic properties of the CNTs filled with iron are determined by the crystal structure (alpha-Fe or Fe3C) of the iron nanowires, which can be controlled by the amount of the ferrocene supplied during CVD. (C) 2013 The Japan Society of Applied Physics