Controlled growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes on patterned substrates.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have attracted great interest in the last two decades because of their unique electrical, optical, thermal, mechanical properties, etc. One major research field of SWCNTs is the controlled growth of them from the patterned catalysts on substrates, since the integration of SWCNTs into nanoelectronics and other devices requires well-organized SWCNT arrays. This tutorial review describes the commonly used lithographic techniques to pattern catalysts used for controlled growth of SWCNTs, specifically confined to the horizontal direction. Advantages and disadvantages of each method will be briefly discussed. Applications of the SWCNT arrays grown from the catalyst patterns will also be introduced. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011