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Updated: Jul 28, 2026

Fabrication, Densification, and Replica Molding of 3D Carbon Nanotube Microstructures
Published on: July 2, 2012
Single crystals of single-walled carbon nanotubes formed by self-assembly
R R Schlittler1, J W Seo, J K Gimzewski
1IBM Research, Zurich Research Laboratory, Säumerstrasse 4, CH-8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland.
Abstract:
We report the self-assembly of single crystals of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using thermolysis of nano-patterned precursors. The synthesis of these perfectly ordered, single crystals of SWCNTs results in extended structures with dimension on the micrometer scale. Each crystal is composed of an ordered array of tubes with identical diameters and chirality, although these properties vary between crystals. The results show that SWCNTs can be produced as a perfect bulk material on the micrometer scale and point toward the synthesis of bulk macroscopic crystalline material.

