Electric field induced growth of well aligned carbon nanotubes from ethanol flames.

This paper introduces a process to synthesize well aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from ethanol flames by using a uniform electric field generated from a DC power supply. It has been found that (1) comparing with the other processes a small electric field is enough to align CNTs; (2) the synthesis process becomes more controllable and repeatable; (3) the electric field also improves the diameter uniformity and the crystallinity of graphite sheets. It is thought that the alignment mechanism is due to the electrostatic force acting upon the catalyst particles at the tips of CNTs. The present process has advantages such as convenience of applying electric field, simple experiment set-up, and large area synthesis of well aligned CNTs.