Abstract Submitted to the NANOTUBE'05 Conference:

The synthesis of carbon nanotubes by CVD depends on the presence of minute particles of a metal in which there is significant carbon solubility, typically iron, cobalt or nickel.   The exact form of these particles is one of the key factors in determining the type and dimensions of the nanotubes formed.      The presentation will cover both substrate and gas entrained processes, the former addressing the issue of the substrate catalyst interaction as well as the reaction cocktails required to control the dimensions and detailed structure of the tubes.  The recent synthesis of mono-chiral multiwall tubes from nitrogen containing species will also be described. ^1,A   For gas phase processes the strategy to control the catalyst and hence tube dimensions is different as they are essentially more physical than chemical.   The emerging understanding, will be described in relation to the direct gas entrained spinning of carbon nanotube fibres ^2,B. 

While the nanotube structure is the basic element which will control the properties of materials built from them, the way in which they are assembled is also of critical importance.   A comparison will be drawn between nanotube orientation through external fields such as stress and flow^C, and self assembly using the liquid crystalline phases of carbon nanotubes³.  

Many of the issues introduced in this overview are discussed in more detail in poster presentations in this meeting ^A,B,C

 ¹  Three dimensional Internal Order in Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes.  K. Koziol, M.S.P.Shaffer and A.H.Windle  Adv. Materials. (2005) 17,  No. 6 March  

²  Direct Spinning of carbon nanotubes from CVD synthesis.     YaLi Li, I.A.Kinloch and A.H.Windle Science (2004) 304 276

³  Nematic Liquid Crystallinity of Multi Wall Carbon Nanotubes

W. Song, I.A. Kinloch, and A H Windle  Science (2003) 302, 5649

^A  P 283   Three-dimensional Internal Order in Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Grown by Chemical Vapour Deposition

Milo Shaffer1, Krzysztof Koziol, and Alan Windle

 ^B P99  Physical Properties of Continuously-Spun Fibres of Carbon Nanotubes

Marcelo Motta, Ya-Li Li, Ian Kinloch and Alan Windle

 ^C  P293 Process for Spin Coating Transparent and Electrically Conductive Polymer-Nanotube Composite Films

Ronald H. Schmidt, Anna Moisala, Gordon Seeley, Ian Kinloch, Alan  Windle

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