Patent ID: 7144563

Claim:
A chemical-vapor deposition process for forming branched carbon nanotubes comprising: providing a first precursor material comprising a catalyst for catalyzing the formation of a carbon nanotube according to a chemical-vapor deposition process, wherein the catalyst is capable of forming a carbide when reacted with carbon; providing a second precursor material comprising a dopant, wherein the dopant is capable of forming a carbide when reacted with carbon, wherein the second precursor material is tetrakis(diethylamino)titanium; mixing the first and second precursor materials together; vaporizing the precursor materials; heating the vaporized mixture of precursor materials to a reaction temperature in a reactor, wherein the carbide-forming reaction of the dopant is more thermodynamically favorable than the carbide-forming reaction of the catalyst at the reactor conditions; providing a carbon source to the reactor; vaporizing the carbon source; heating the vaporized carbon source to the reaction temperature in the reactor; and forming a carbon nanotube in the reactor according to a chemical-vapor deposition process, wherein the carbon nanotube comprises one or more branches.