Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Fabrication of Low Temperature Carbon Nanotube Vertical Interconnects Compatible with Semiconductor Technology
Published on: December 7, 2015
Thermal physics in carbon nanotube growth kinetics
Oleg A Louchev1, Hisao Kanda, Arne Rosén
1Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan.
Abstract:
The growth of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) mediated by metal nanoparticles is considered within (i) the surface diffusion growth kinetics model coupled with (ii) a thermal model taking into account heat release of carbon adsorption-desorption on nanotube surface and carbon incorporation into the nanotube wall and (iii) carbon nanotube-inert gas collisional heat exchange. Numerical simulations performed together with analytical estimates reveal various temperature regimes occurring during SWNT growth. During the initial stage, which is characterized by SWNT lengths that are shorter than the surface diffusion length of carbon atoms adsorbed on the SWNT wall, the SWNT temperature remains constant and is significantly higher than that of the ambient gas. After this stage the SWNT temperature decreases towards that of gas and becomes nonuniformly distributed over the length of the SWNT. The rate of SWNT cooling depends on the SWNT-gas collisional energy transfer that, from molecular dynamics simulations, is seen to be efficient only in the SWNT radial direction. The decreasing SWNT temperature may lead to solidification of the catalytic metal nanoparticle terminating SWNT growth or triggering nucleation of a new carbon layer and growth of multiwall carbon nanotubes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Kinetic Theory of an Ideal Gas
The number of molecules in one mole is called Avogadro's number...
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant heat.
Thermodynamics: Activity Coefficient
The activity coefficient is a measure of the deviation from ideal behavior. When the ionic strength of the solution is minimal, the activity coefficient of an ionic species is close to unity, making...
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
Joule-Thomson Effect
This experiment forces high-pressure gas through a throttle valve or a porous plug to a lower-pressure region. The gas expands as it passes through to...
Mechanism of heat transfer

