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In order to investigate the catalytic mechanism for the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a comprehensive study was conducted using carbon materials synthesized at 680 oC with a gas mixture of CO-H2 after reduction at 800 oC by H2 gas from iron oxide, and metal Pt. The resulting material was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) after a variety of reaction times. The carbon materials synthesized by metal Pt were little affected by reaction time and the sintered particles did not form CNTs. Xray analysis revealed that metal Fe was completely converted to iron carbide (Fe3C) without Fe peaks in the early stage. After 5 min, iron carbide (Fe3C) and carbon (C) phases were observed at the beginning of CNTs growth. It was found that the intensity of the carbon(C) peak gradually increased with the continuous growth of CNTs as reaction time increases. It was also found that the catalyst of growth of CNTs was metal carbide.

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A vacuum chamber for a commercial atomic force microscope (AFM) is designed and fabricated. Only minimal modifications were made to an existing microscope in an effort to work in a vacuum environment, while most of the available AFM functionalities were kept intact. The optical alignment needed for proper AFM operations including a SLD (superluminescent diode) and a photodiode can be made externally without breaking the vacuum. A vacuum level of 5×10 -3 torr was achieved with a mechanical pump. An enhancement of the quality factor was observed along with a shift in the resonance frequency of a non-contact-mode cantilever in a vacuum. Topographical data of a calibration sample were also obtained in air and in a low vacuum using the non-contact mode and the results were compared.