Controlled attachment of metal nanoparticles to single walled carbon nanotubes as a key step in their seeded growth and lengthening

The present study demonstrates the viability of the reductive attachment step of the single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) lengthening process in which long SWCNTs are grown from short nanotube seeds. Aryl sulfonate sidewall-functionalized, carboxylate end-functionalized SWCNTs are attached to an inorganic cluster pro-catalyst (FeMoC) via ligand exchange. The SWCNT–FeMoC complex was electrodeposited onto highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), heated and exposed to etching conditions. Pre- and post-treatment AFM imaging shows that controlled reductive etching of the SWCNTs is attainable at a variety of pressures and temperatures in hot surface/cold gas and hot surface/hot gas systems.