X-ray diffraction characterization on the alignment degree of carbon nanotubes

X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies were performed on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with various alignment degrees synthesized by catalytic pyrolysis of ferrocene and xylene. A qualitative relationship between the peak intensities of the XRD patterns and the degrees of nanotube alignments was established. The intensity of the (0 0 2) peak decreases monotonically with higher nanotube alignment. This method provides a simple way to characterize the alignment degree of as-grown large-area CNTs.