Support materials based on converted aluminum films for chemical vapor deposition growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes

We systematically studied the support materials for chemical vapor deposition of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Four support materials with iron catalysts were investigated: silicon dioxide, aluminum film, boehmite, and γ-alumina. The boehmite and the γ-alumina were progressively converted from evaporated aluminum film. The iron catalysts on the aluminum film, the boehmite, and the γ-alumina produced a good SWNT yield in the growth temperature range of 650–800 °C, while the catalysts on silicon dioxide produced a poor SWNT yield. The X-ray diffraction patterns suggested that the catalyst particle sizes were kept small on these aluminum-based support materials.