Straight carbon nanotube Y junctions

Carbon nanotube junctions are of great interest in the fundamental research and nanoelectronic applications. Identical carbon nanotube Y junctions have been successfully synthesized by pyrolysis of methane over cobalt supported on magnesium oxide. The Y junctions have very straight arms with uniform diameters, and the angles between the three arms are close to 120 degrees. Based on the analysis on the structure of the Y junctions the growth mechanism has been discussed. The fact that all the Y junctions grow in a similar way may be very important in the development of nanoelectronic devices. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.