Nanoengineering Ni _xFe _1-x catalysts for gas-phase, selective synthesis of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes

The inhomogeneity of as-grown single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), in terms of chiral structure, is a major obstacle to integration of these novel materials in advanced electronics. While separation methods have circumvented this problem, current synthesis approaches must be refined for large-scale production of SWCNTs with uniform properties. In addition, it is highly desirable to alter the initial chirality distribution which constrains fundamental study and applications. Here, we demonstrate that semiconducting SWCNTs are selectively produced in the gas phase by engineering catalysts at the nanoscale with precise size and composition. The semiconducting content in as-grown mixtures of SWCNTs is assessed by UV-visible-NIR absorbance and micro-Raman spectroscopy and reaches a maximum purity of 90% for samples catalyzed by Ni _0.27Fe _0.73 nanoparticles (2.0 nm mean diameter). Electrical studies are performed on thin film transistors (TFTs) fabricated from as-grown SWCNTs and reveal high on/off current ratios of 10 ³.