Self-assembled giant carbon nanotube construction using Langmuir–Blodgett films

We used Langmuir–Blodgett films including iron atoms as a catalytic metal material for carbon nanotube (CNT) growth through chemical vapor deposition. We have found a new form of nanotube growth, which we call a giant carbon nanotube construction (GNC). The GNC seems to be a self-assembled knitted structure by carbon nanotubes. The GNC has thin (5 μm in diameter) and long (100 μm in length) structure and is quite different from CNT bundles. The growth mechanism of the GNC was suggested from the SEM images and Raman spectral data. The GNC might have application to CNT sensors, synthetic fiber, and so on.