Versatile synthesis of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes from nickel nanoparticles for the study of their physical properties

Discrete nickel catalyst nanoparticles have been used to grow isolated single-walled carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition. Atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy have been used to characterize the as-grown, isolated nanotubes.