Growth of carbon nanotubes from titanium dioxide nanoparticles

We have demonstrated that titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticle is an efficient catalyst for the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). TiO2 nanoparticles can be generated either by sol–gel method or sputtering. Highly dense single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and/or multi-walled CNTs can be produced by ethanol-chemical vapor deposition (EtOH-CVD) using those TiO2 nanoparticles as catalysts. XPS measurements further prove that the TiO2 nanoparticles are responsible for the nanotube growth. Sputtering approach for generating TiO2 nanoparticles provide a facile way for patterning SWNTs for various applications.