Ni–Ni3P alloy catalyst for carbon nanostructures

Carbon nanostructures were grown by using electroless Ni–P (Ni–Ni3P) alloys as catalysts. And the influence of the deposition structure on the as-grown nanostructures was examined. It reveals that traditional Ni–Ni3P alloy film on steel substrate could result in a preferred formation of carbon nanofibers, whereas, nanocrystalline Ni–Ni3P alloy catalysts could yield a formation of carbon nanotubes and especially those of nanotube junctions and double-helixed nanocoils. The successful use of these electroless alloys as catalysts here suggests wide catalysis applications of many binary or multinary alloys prepared through electroless plating and rapid quenching techniques.