Copper/molybdenum nanocomposite particles as catalysts for the growth of bamboo-structured carbon nanotubes

Bamboo-structured carbon nanotubes (BCNTs), with mean diameters of 20 nm, have been synthesized on MgO-supported Cu and Mo catalysts by the catalytic chemical vapor deposition of methane. BCNTs could only be generated using a combination of Cu and Mo catalysts. No BCNTs were produced from either individual Cu or Mo catalysts. In combination, Mo was found to be essential for cracking the methane precursor, while Cu was required for BCNT formation. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis of the individual particles at the tips of the nanotubes suggest that Cu and Mo are present as a "composite" nanoparticle catalyst after growth. First-principles modeling has been used to describe the interaction of the Cu/Mo catalyst with the nanotubes, suggesting that the catalyst binds with the same energy as traditional catalysts such as Fe, Ni, and Co.