Curious aligned growth of carbon nanotubes under applied electric field Original Research Article

In the present investigation, we have investigated the effect of external voltage (field) on the alignment of graphitic nanotubes as a result of applied electric field. The details of alignment effect embodying variation of applied electric field corresponding to applied voltage between 2 to 10 volts, the variation of length and diameter of the tubes have been studied. It has been found that both the degree of alignment and optimum length (∼12 μm), diameter (∼60 nm) of the tubes are obtained for the applied electrical field corresponding to 6 volts. The applied electrical field for 6 volts has been estimated to be ≈1889 volts cm−1. A feasible model for the effect of tube alignment due to the external electric field has been described and discussed.