Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Fabrication of a Biomimetic Nano-Matrix with Janus Base Nanotubes and Fibronectin for Stem Cell Adhesion
Published on: May 10, 2020
Janus Segregation at the Carbon Nanotube-Catalyst Interface
Ksenia V Bets1, Evgeni S Penev1, Boris I Yakobson1
1Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering , Rice University , Houston , Texas 77005 , United States.
Abstract:
The contact between a carbon nanotube (CNT) edge and a catalyst is a curvilinear interface of fundamental and practical importance. Here, the first-principles evidence shows that on a rigid/solid catalyst the faceted CNT edge is significantly lower in energy compared to the minimal-length circle, with the interface energy difference decreasing on more compliant surfaces. This universal trend, found for typical monometallic (Ni, Co), bimetallic (Co7W6), and metal carbide (WC) catalysts, results in a peculiar edge segregation into one-dimensional Janus (armchair-zigzag) interface. Its lowered energy greatly enhances the nucleation probability of chiral tubes, dramatically affecting their growth kinetics. This offers a richer basis for understanding, modeling, and control of catalytic CNT synthesis.
Related Concept Videos
Law of Segregation
Segregation in Fresh Concrete
Protein-protein Interfaces
Protein-Protein Interfaces
The Carbon Cycle
Carbon Skeletons

