Narrow-chirality distributed single-walled carbon nanotube growth from nonmagnetic catalyst

We present the first demonstration of the nonmagnetic catalyzed synthesis of narrow-chirality distributed single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Based on the systematic investigation using different combinations of catalyst types (magnetic or nonmagnetic) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods (thermal CVD (TCVD) or plasma CVD (PCVD)), PCVD with the nonmagnetic catalyst under the appropriate H₂ concentration is found to be critical as the methodological element of realizing the narrow-chirality distribution. Electrical measurements of thin film SWNTs produced under the different combinations of catalyst types and CVD methods are also investigated, which reveals the SWNTs grown from the nonmagnetic catalyst with PCVD display the best device performance.