Tailoring of three-dimensional carbon nanotube architectures by coupling capillarity-induced assembly with multiple CVD growth

We present a general method for the construction of 3D carbon nanotube (CNT) architectures with structural integrity and stability by the combination of capillary action and catalytic vapor-phase deposition (CVD). Using this method, patterned CNTs undergo the transformation from a vertically aligned structure to a hierarchically dual porosity material in a controllable way, which can be tuned by sequential modulation of the water-wetting and the CVD re-growth. By controlling the predesign of the substrate patterns, the CNT height, and the sequence of water wetting-CVD runs, diverse shapes and hybrid structures have been fabricated. This simple and versatile method might be extendable to the organization of other filamentary nanostructures for the construction of complex architectures made of various 1D building blocks.