Chemical vapor depositions of single-walled carbon nanotubes catalyzed by uniform Fe₂O₃ nanoclusters synthesized using diblock copolymer micelles

Inversed micelles formed by polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinyl-pyridine) in toluene loaded with FeCl₃ were used to synthesize and deliver discrete Fe₂O₃ nanoclusters with uniform diameters to flat substrates. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were grown by chemical vapor deposition using these nanoclusters as the catalysts. Atomic force microscope characterizations revealed that high density SWNT mats were grown on the surface and the diameter of nanotubes was controlled by the diameter of nanoclusters. Electrical measurement revealed that the dense SWNT mats contained both semiconducting and metallic SWNTs and could be used to build thin film transistors.