Microscopic structure of as-grown single-wall carbon nanotubes by laser ablation

Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy has been used to investigate the intact structure of laser-ablated single-wall carbon nanotube materials in-situ deposited on nickel grids. No ex-situ processing was applied to the specimens so that the as-grown structure was retained. Most of the nanotubes formed highly curved bundles, which split or joined to form various structures. Individually grown nanotubes were found to contain more defects. The results provided the basic information for understanding the growth mechanism of carbon nanotubes in the laser ablation process.