title: Evidence of correlation between catalyst particles and the single-wall carbon nanotube diameter: a first step towards chirality control.
abstract: Controlling the structure of single-wall carbon nanotubes during their synthesis by chemical vapor deposition remains a challenging issue. Here, using a specific synthesis protocol and ex situ transmission electron microscopy, we perform a statistical analysis of the structure of the tubes and of the catalyst particles from which they grow. We discriminate two nucleation modes, corresponding to different nanotube-particle junctions, that occur independently of the particle size. With the support of tight binding calculations, we show that a direct control of the nanotube diameter by the particle can only be achieved under growth conditions close to thermodynamic equilibrium.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Étude des Microstructures, ONERA-CNRS, BP 72, 92322 Châtillon Cedex, France.
authors.forename: M-F C
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Fiawoo
authors.forename: A-M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bonnot
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Amara
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bichara
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thibault-Pénisson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loiseau