Electronic, chemical and structural characterization of CNTs grown by acetylene decomposition over MgO supported Fe-Co bimetallic catalysts

The electronic and chemical structure of carbon nanotubes synthesized by decomposition of acetylene over Fe-Co bimetallic catalysts in different growth conditions, were analyzed by valence band photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. A clear relationship between the bonding features and the growth condition allowed us to determine the key parameters in terms of temperature, growth time and catalyst content. Furthermore, the analysis allowed a determination of the byproducts.