Revealing distortion of carbon nanotube walls via angle-resolved X-ray spectroscopy

• The disordering degree of aligned SWNT arrays were defined by FT SEM analysis.
• Angle-resolved X-ray spectroscopy show disordering in the structure of SWNT walls.
• Disordering in the graphene networks was assigned to the distortion of nanotube walls.

Arrays of aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) produced by supergrowth method were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and angle-resolved near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, which defined that nanotube disorder is 10–13° and 23–27°, respectively. The latter value was confirmed by X-ray fluorescent spectroscopy. The difference in the obtained angular deviations was attributed to distortion of the SWCNT walls, because the X-ray spectroscopy methods are sensitive to a local environment of probing atoms, while the SEM examines the nanotubes at a substantially larger length scale. Significant distortion (20–24°) of SWCNT walls could be related to the defects introduced during the growth process.