Rope-like bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) similar to those obtained by laser vaporization and electric-arc techniques were synthesized on a relatively large scale and at low cost by the catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbons at a temperature of about 1200 °C using an improved floating catalyst method. The SWNTs thus obtained have larger diameters and are self-organized into ropes. The addition of thiophene was found to be effective in promoting the growth of SWNTs and in increasing the yield of either SWNTs or multiwalled carbon nanotubes under different growth conditions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.