Electronic, chemical and structural characterization of CNTs grown by acetylene decomposition over MgO supported Fe–Co bimetallic catalysts

The electronic and chemical structure of carbon nanotubes synthesized by decomposition of acetylene over Fe–Co bimetallic catalysts in different growth conditions, were analyzed by valence band photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. A clear relationship between the bonding features and the growth condition allowed us to determine the key parameters in terms of temperature, growth time and catalyst content. Furthermore, the analysis allowed a determination of the byproducts.