Patent ID: 7214553

Claim:
A process for the controlled growth of nanotubes or nanofibers on a substrate, comprising the steps of: producing on the substrate a bi-layer structure composed of a layer of catalyst material and a layer of associated material, the associated material forming a noncatalytic alloy with the catalyst material at high temperature, the bi-layer structure having a first aperture in the layer of associated material to locally constitute a structure having of a single layer of catalyst material wherein said layer of catalyst material is composed of catalyst spots; annealing the bi-layer structure at high temperature to form a single layer of a catalyst material/associated material alloy, the single layer of alloy having a second aperture to localize the catalyst material in this second aperture; and growing the nanotubes or nanofibers from the catalyst material localized in the second aperture in locations of said catalyst spots, wherein the catalyst material is localized in the second aperture in the same plane as that of the single layer.