The physical state of the catalyst and its impact on the growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is the subject of a long-standing debate. We addressed it here using in situ Raman spectroscopy to measure Fe and Ni catalyst lifetimes during the growth of individual SWNTs across a wide range of temperatures (500-1400 °C). The temperature dependence of the Fe catalyst lifetimes underwent a sharp increase around 1100 °C due to a solid-to-liquid phase transition. By comparing experimental results with the metal-carbon phase diagrams, we prove that SWNTs can grow from solid and liquid phase-catalysts, depending on the temperature.

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We demonstrate that argon ion bombardment of single crystal sapphire leads to the creation of substrates that support the growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes from iron catalysts with a density, height, and quality equivalent to those grown on conventional, disordered alumina supports. We quantify the evolution of the catalyst using a range of surface characterization techniques and demonstrate the ability to engineer and pattern the catalyst support through control of ion beam bombardment parameters.

The low-temperature superplastic (SP) flow behavior of two lots of Ti-6Al-4V sheet, each with an ultrafine microstructure, was established by performing tension tests at temperatures of 775°C and 815°C and true strain rates of 10 À4 and 10 À3 s À1 . The as-received microstructures of the two materials comprised either equiaxed or slightly elongated alpha particles in a beta matrix. The material with equiaxed alpha particles exhibited flow hardening, which was correlated with concurrent (dynamic) coarsening. The rate of dynamic coarsening was rationalized in terms of static coarsening measurements and the enhancement of kinetics due to pipe diffusion. By contrast, the material with initially elongated alpha particles exhibited comparable flow hardening at the lower strain rate but a complex, near-steady-state behavior at the higher strain rate. These latter observations were explained on the basis of the evolution of the alpha particle shape and size during straining; dynamic coarsening or dynamic spheroidization was concluded to be most important at the lower and higher strain rates, respectively. The plastic flow behavior was interpreted in the context of a long-wavelength flow localization analysis.