Controlling the Morphology of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes by Sequential Catalytic Growth Induced by Phosphorus

The use of phosphorus as a co‐catalyst enabling modification of the kinetic equilibrium between the elementary growth steps of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and induction of a mechanism of sequential catalytic growth is reported. The mechanism produces nanotube‐based filaments periodically inserted with catalyst nanoparticles, which resemble nanoscale matches (see Figure).