Nanotechnology: 'buckypaper' from coaxial nanotubes.
Double-walled carbon nanotubes are needed in a pure, highly crystalline form before features such as their electronic properties, thermal transport and mechanical behaviour can be investigated. Here we fabricate a paper-like material that consists of hexagonally packed bundles of clean, coaxial carbon nanotubes whose double walls vary little in diameter; it is prepared in high yields using chemical-vapour deposition with a conditioning catalyst and two-step purification. Our results will enable investigation of the physical properties of double-walled carbon nanotubes, which are predicted to be superior to those of both their single- and multiwalled relatives.
Endo
M
M
Faculty of Engineering, Shinshu University, 4-17-1 Wakasato, Nagano-shi 380-8553, Japan. endo@endomoribu.shinshu-u.ac.jp
Muramatsu
H
H
Hayashi
T
T
Kim
Y A
YA
Terrones
M
M
Dresselhaus
M S
MS