Metal oxide coating on carbon nanotubes by a methanol-thermal method.

A methanol-thermal method has been developed to fabricate one-dimensional composite nanowires by coating multiwalled carbon nanotubes with lanthanum oxide and iron oxide, respectively. The coating structure and composition have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy and the X-ray energy dispersive spectrum. Magnetic measurement for the iron oxide coatings indicated that the coercivity has been enhanced after coating. The method reported here provides a novel procedure for the fabrication of one-dimensional composite nanostructures.