Single-walled carbon nanotube growth on glass

We report the growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on glass substrate using water-assisted plasma CVD. Highly pure SWNTs are successfully grown on glass at 550 °C, below the strain point of the glass. The growth behaviour of SWNTs on glass is not only influenced by the growth temperature, but is also highly dependent on the buffer layer. Two different buffer layers are studied: Al₂O₃ and SiO₂. Detailed effects on the grown nanotubes are discussed through Raman spectroscopy. This work suggests that the application area of SWNTs may extend to thin film transistors (TFTs) in micro-electronics for opto-electronics with a flexible choice of substrates.