Method of growth of branched carbon nanotubes and devices produced from the branched nanotubes

US6325909A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The Governing Council of the University of Toronto · CA

Inventors

• Jing Li · Toronto, CA
• Christo Papadopoulos · Toronto, CA
• Jingming Xu · Schreiber, CA

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 3, 1999
• Grant date: Dec 4, 2001
• Expiry date: Dec 3, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S977/844
• WIPO field: Surface technology, coating
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A method of producing Y-junction carbon nanotubes. An alumina template with branched growth channels is produced after which individual Y-junction carbon nanotubes are grown directly by pyrolysis of acetylene using cobalt catalysis. The use of a branched growth channel allows the natural simultaneous formation of a very large number of individual but well-aligned three-port Y-junction carbon nanotubes with excellent uniformity and control over the length (up to several tens .mu.m) and diameter (15-100 nm) of the "stem" and "branches" separately. These Y-junctions offer the nanoelectronics community a new base material for molecular scale electronic devices including for example transistors and rectifiers.