Patent ID: 8207658

Claim:
A method for making carbon nanotubes, comprising: providing a substrate having a metal surface; providing a vapor phase mixture comprised of a nanotube forming precursor and a nanotube growth catalyst onto the metal surface of the substrate; and directly growing the carbon nanotubes on the metal surface of the substrate such that the carbon nanotubes are substantially aligned in a direction perpendicular to said metal surface of the substrate; wherein: said nanotube growth catalyst is a metal catalyst vapor, and said metal surface of the substrate comprises a nickel, chromium and iron alloy; the carbon nanotubes comprise multiwalled carbon nanotubes; the multiwalled carbon nanotubes are grown at a temperature of 600-1100° C.; and the metal surface of the substrate is not coated with a nanotube growth catalyst prior to initiating nanotube growth.