TEM Observation of the Giant Carbon Nanotube Construction Using Langmuir-Blodgett Films

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films, which included Fe atoms as a catalytic metal material, were used for carbon nanotube (CNT) growth by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). A new form of localized nanotube growth was observed to result in a structure called a giant carbon nanotube construction (GNC). The GNC seems to be a self-assembled knitted structure formed by CNTs. The GNC is thin (∼5 μm in diameter) and long (∼100 μm) and is quite different from a CNT bundle. A growth mechanism for the GNC was developed from the results of TEM, SEM, and Raman spectral analysis. The GNC might find applications for CNT sensors, synthetic fibers, and so on.