Thin-walled carbon nanotubes grown using a zirconium catalyst

Thin-walled carbon nanotubes (TWCNTs) were synthesized using a zirconium (Zr) plate by cold-wall chemical vapor deposition of a mixture gas consisting of C2H2 and H2 under a pressure of 1.20 torr. The Zr plate was used for the formation of Zr nanocatalysts during the thermal process and used as substrate to eliminate the effects of interactions between catalyst and substrate during CNT synthesis. The TWCNTs were 4–9 nm in diameter and a few micrometers long. Nanometer-sized defects on the Zr bulk material may have a low melting temperature, allowing them to form droplet-like catalysts and achieve high carbon solubility for the formation of CNTs.