In situ synthesis of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes by modified arc discharging method

Abstract

Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs) were in situ synthesized by a temperature-controlled arc discharging furnace with DC electric field using Co–Ni alloy powder as catalyst in helium gas. The microstructures of s-SWCNTs were characterized using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and Raman spectrometry apparatus. The experimental results indicated that the best voltage value in DC electric field is 54 V, and the environmental temperature of the reaction chamber is 600 °C. The mean diameter of s-SWCNTs was estimated about 1.3 nm. The chiral vector (n, m) of s-SWCNTs was calculated to be (10, 10) type according to the electron diffraction patterns.