Combining in situ studies of the catalyst activity during single-walled carbon nanotube ͑SWCNT͒ growth by mass spectrometry with differential scanning calorimetry and Raman spectroscopy results, the authors expose the favorable features of small catalyst for SWCNT growth and their relationship with synthesis parameters. The sequential introduction of 12 C and 13 C labeled hydrocarbon reveals the influence of catalyst composition on its lifetime and the growth termination path. Ab initio and molecular dynamics simulations corroborate "V"-shape liquidus line of metal-carbon nanoparticle binary phase diagram, which explains observed carbon-induced solid-liquid-solid phase transitions during nanotube growth.

Fe nanoclusters are becoming the standard catalysts for growing single-walled carbon nanotubes via chemical vapor decomposition. Contrary to the Gibbs-Thompson model, we find that the reduction of the catalyst size requires an increase of the minimum temperature necessary for the growth. We address this phenomenon in terms of solubility of C in Fe nanoclusters and, by using first-principles calculations, we devise a simple model to predict the behavior of the phases competing for stability in Fe-C nanoclusters at low temperature. We show that, as a function of particle size, there are three scenarios compatible with steady state growth, limited growth, and no growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes, corresponding to unaffected, reduced, and no solubility of C in the particles.

The evolution of the iron catalyst during carbon single-walled nanotube growth is studied using calorimetry, temperature-programmed oxidation and Raman measurements. Carbon-induced solid-liquid, and solid-liquid-solid phase transitions of the nanocatalyst during the synthesis were observed. We found that liquid phase is favored for the growth of nanotubes, while the solidification of the catalyst nearly terminates the growth. No growth was observed below the eutectic point, when the catalyst is in solid phase. Our results support a growth mechanism of single-walled carbon nanotubes on liquid catalyst particles.

We explore the role of Mo in Fe:Mo nanocatalyst thermodynamics for low-temperature chemical vapor deposition growth of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). By using the size-pressure approximation and ab initio modeling, we prove that for both Fe-rich (∼ 80% Fe or more) and Mo-rich (∼ 50% Mo or more) Fe:Mo clusters, the presence of carbon in the cluster causes nucleation of Mo2C. This enhances the activity of the particle since it releases Fe, which is initially bound in a stable Fe:Mo phase, so that it can catalyze SWCNT growth. Furthermore, the presence of small concentrations of Mo reduce the lower size limit of low-temperature steady-state growth from ∼0.58nmf orpureF eparticlesto ∼ 0.52nm. Our ab initio-thermodynamic modeling explains experimental results and establishes a new direction to search for better catalysts.Critical factors for the efficient growth of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) via catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) 1,2,3 are the compositions of the interacting species (feedstock, catalyst, support 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 ), the preparation of the catalysts, and the synthesis conditions 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 . Efficient catalysts must have long active lifetimes (with respect to feedstock dissociation and nanotube growth), high selectivity and be less prone to contamination 19,20,21,22,23 . Common factors that lead to reduction in catalytic activity are deactivation (i.e. chemical poisoning or coating with carbon), thermal sintering (e.g. caused by highly exothermic reactions on the clusters surface 13,14,24 with insufficient heat transfer 25,26 ) and solid-state reactions (nucleation of inactive phases in the cluster 22,23,25 ).Metal alloy catalysts, such as Fe:Co, Co:Mo and Fe:Mo, improve the growth of CNTs 4,10,20,27,28,29,30,31 , because the presence of more than one metal species can significantly enhance the activity of a catalyst 20,32,33,34 , and can prevent catalyst particle aggregation 20,31,32,33 . In the case of Fe:Mo nanoparticles supported on Al 2 O 3 substrates, the enhanced catalyst activity has been shown to be larger than the linear combination of the individual Fe/Al 2 O 3 and Mo/Al 2 O 3 activities 20,27,28 . This is explained in terms of substantial inter-metallic interaction between Mo, Fe and C 20,35,36 which is congruent with previously observed solid-state reactions between these elements. In fact, the addition of Mo in mechanical alloying of powder Fe and C mixtures 38 promotes solid state reactions even at low Mo concentrations by forming ternary phases, such as the (Fe,Mo) 23 C 6 type carbides 38 .The way in which carbon interacts with transition metals depends on the metal species. Fe and Co belong to the "carbon dissolution-precipitation mechanism" group, where relatively large fractions of carbon dissolve into the cluster before stable carbides are formed, while Mo belongs to the "carbide formation-decomposition" group where carbide formation occurs rapidly at low carbon concentrations 39 . These mechanisms are governed by the interplay between solub...

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