Sustained Growth of Ultralong Carbon Nanotube Arrays for Fiber Spinning

Abstract

Arrays of well-aligned, ca. 4.7 mm long carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are grown in a simple, safe, and cost-effective manner using an efficient Al2O3/Fe catalyst prepared by an ion-beam assisted deposition technique (see figure). Importantly, the as-synthesized CNT arrays with lengths ranging from 500 μm to 1.5 mm are conducive to spinning, and CNT fibers spun from such long CNT arrays show remarkably improved tensile strength. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2089/2006/c1344_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.