Is molybdenum necessary for the growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes from CO?

Catalytic mixtures of molybdenum and cobalt have been considered essential for the growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) from carbon monoxide by the chemical vapor deposition method. Here we demonstrated extensive growth of SWCNT with only cobalt as catalyst. The typically subsequent stage of annealing the catalyst in the presence of hydrogen was also eliminated. This process resulted in a near-100% yield of essentially defect-free chiral tubes. Use of electrochemical deposition of the catalyst seed particles may open the door for the production of massive electronic interconnect assemblies of these nanotubes.