Production of high-density single-walled nanotube material by a simple laser-ablation method

A continuous-wave 250 W CO2-laser operating at 10.6 μm has been employed to evaporate graphite/bi-metal targets in a vertical evaporation chamber. Without the help of an additional furnace, web-like soot material has been easily produced. This contains high densities of bundles of single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs). Electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and neutron diffraction show the high quality of the SWNT material. The use of this simple laser-ablation system offers additional possibilities to study experimental parameters important for the formation of SWNTs leading to a better understanding of its growth mechanism.