Patent ID: 7544546

Claim:
A method of forming carbon nanomaterials or semiconductor nanomaterials consisting of: providing a substrate and attaching a molecular precursor to the substrate, wherein the molecular precursor includes a surface binding group for attachment to the substrate and a binding group for attachment of metal-containing species; complexing the binding group for attachment of metal-containing species, where the metal-containing species is a metal-oxide nanoparticle to form a metallized molecular precursor; and heating the metallized molecular precursor to provide a catalytic site from which the carbon nanomaterials or semiconductor nanomaterials form wherein the molecular precursor further consists of a body portion disposed between the surface binding group and the binding group for attachment of metal-containing species, wherein the body portion provides a sufficient intermolecular interaction with neighboring attached molecular precursors to form a molecular monolayer, wherein the surface binding group is a thiol and the substrate is gold and wherein the metal oxide nanoparticle contains iron.