Catalyst-Free Growth of Ordered\nSingle-Walled Carbon Nanotube\nNetworks

Abstract

We report the catalyst-free horizontal growth of carbon nanotubes on the Si face of hexagonal silicon carbide (6H-SiC) at temperatures above\n1500 °C. These nanotubes are single walled with a very narrow distribution of diameters. Nanotubes tend to follow the atomic structure of the\nsurface, leading to preferential orientation and the development of ordered networks of tubes. Manipulation of nanotubes using atomic force\nmicroscopy indicates that the tubes move on the surface at high temperature and are stabilized in the directions parallel and perpendicular\nto the step edges.