title: Aligned carbon nanotube stacks by water-assisted selective etching.
abstract: Well-aligned, high-purity carbon nanotube (CNT) stacks of up to 10 layers fabricated in one batch process have been formed by water-assisted selective etching of carbon atoms. Etching takes place at the CNT caps as well as at the interface between CNTs and metal catalyst particles. This simple process generates high-purity CNTs and opens the CNT ends by removing the nanotube caps. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy indicates that the process does not damage CNT wall structures. A mechanism for stacked growth of CNT layers is proposed.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Lingbo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yonghao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiu
authors.forename: Dennis W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: Ching-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D014867:Water