Growth of carbon nanotubes from C60

Carbon nanotubes can be obtained from a multitude of molecular precursors in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes. Here we demonstrate that the use of C60 as the carbon feedstock gas in an iron-catalyzed thermal CVD experiment leads to the formation of films of multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The critical role of the diameter of the catalyst particles in determining the efficiency of nanotube growth is clearly demonstrated. Electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy were employed for the characterisation of the nanotube material. The structural properties of the individual nanotubes show distinctive differences to acetylene-grown multi-walled nanotubes.