A New Method of Obtaining High Enrichment of Metallic Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel arc-discharge method that significantly increases the metallic single-walled carbon nanotube content, achieving over 90% purity, which is promising for large-scale applications.

Contribution

The study introduces a new arc-discharge technique with specific electrode composition and vapor conditions to produce high-purity metallic SWNTs.

Findings

Over 90% metallic SWNTs achieved

Metallicity increases with Fe(CO)5 concentration

Method enables large-scale synthesis of pure metallic SWNTs

Abstract

Arc-discharge with carbon electrodes containing Ni and Y2O3 in the presence of Fe(CO)5 vapors have been investigated. It is found that unlike the cathode deposit, the web deposited in the chamber contains mainly metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as evidenced from Raman and optical absorption spectroscopy. The percentage of metallic SWNTs increases with the concentration of Fe(CO)5. Under optimal conditions, the web contains over 90% of metallic SWNTs. This method enables the synthesis of nearly pure metallic SWNTs on a large scale.