Synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes using laser-vaporized metal nanoparticle catalyst

SWNTs were synthesized by laser-vaporized CCVD (catalytic chemical vapor deposition). The diameter distributions and the abundance of SWNTs synthesized at different temperatures and using different catalysts were investigated by Raman spectroscopy. Further, this technique was compared with other synthesis techniques (laser-oven and conventional-alcohol CCVD), and C60 was synthesized simultaneously as a byproduct only using the laser-oven technique. With increasing synthesis temperature, the diameter distribution shifted towards larger diameters, and the G/D ratio became larger as the synthesis temperature increased to 1000°C. Ni, Co, and Fe played a catalytic role, though Fe was less effective under our experimental conditions. The diameter distribution of SWNTs synthesized with the Fe catalyst was shifted to smaller values compared to those synthesized with Ni or Co catalysts.