Synthetic control over the structure and symmetry of carbon nanotubes: Towards biomedical applications

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are appealing materials for biomedical applications due to their unique chemical, electrical and mechanical properties. The emphasis of the present work is on controlling the structure and symmetry of carbon nanotubes by imposing an applied stress at the CNT growth site. CNTs were grown under these conditions using standard chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques and were subsequently characterized with a scanning electron microscope; the methodology and implications of this approach are discussed herein.