Evidence of Sequential Lift in Growth of Aligned Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Multilayers

We synthesized aligned multiwalled carbon nanotube multilayers by aerosol-assisted catalytic chemical vapor deposition through sequential injections of aerosols containing both carbon and catalyst precursors. Each sequence was traced by a specific duration or precursor mixture, with the carbon source being possibly enriched in 13C isotope labels. We discovered that any sequence involved the growth of a new layer on the substrate surface, under any pre-existing one by lifting it up, giving definitive evidence of a base-growth mechanism.