Selective growth of double-walled carbon nanotubes on gold films

Growth of high-quality vertical aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) structures on silicon supported gold (Au) films by thermal chemical vapor deposition (TCVD) is presented. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that the growth is highly selective. Statistical study reveals that 79.4% of the as-grown CNTs are double-walled. The CNTs synthesized on Au films are more porous than that synthesized on silicon substrates under the same conditions. Raman spectroscopy and electrical characterization performed on the as-grown double-walled CNTs (DWNTs) indicate that they are competitive with those CNTs grown on silicon substrates. Field emission tests show that closed-ended DWNTs have lower threshold field than those open-ended.