Cadmium-catalyzed surface growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes with high efficiency

► We demonstrate that cadmium (Cd) can catalyze the growth of SWNTs with high efficiency. ► The PVP capped-Cd nanocatalysts were uniformly spaced over a large deposition area with an average diameter of 1.9 nm. ► By using the normal-heating and fast-heating method, random and horizontally aligned arrays of SWNTs can be generated. ► The high percentage of SWNTs with Ag deposition from Cd indicates that the SWNTs have better conductivity and structural uniformity.