Is the diameter or chirality distribution of single-walled carbon nanotubes selected in the synthesis process?

• Published in: Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology Vol. 9; no. 3; p. 1897
• Main Authors: Bhattacharyya, Krishnendu, Suda, Yoshiyuki, Okita, Atsushi, Saito, Takeshi, Ozeki, Atsushi, Maekawa, Masayuki, Takayama, Junichi, Sugawara, Hirotake, Sakai, Yosuke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.03.2009
• ISSN: 1533-4880
• DOI: 10.1166/jnn.2009.436

Based on recent theoretical photoluminescence intensity calculations, the population densities of sixteen semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes grown by alcohol catalytic chemical vapor deposition were estimated for two different temperatures. The profiles of population density merely as functions of tube-diameter or chiral angle are found to be widely scattered. However, systematic profiles are detectable when separately split into (2n + m), (n + 2m) and (n - m) family arrays. Apart from these well-knit family behaviors, the population densities of the group of nanotubes forming another three possible series [viz. constant-n, constant-m and constant-(n + m)] also show evidence of good correlations. Hence, a two-dimensional chiral-zone selective growth principle is hypothesized.