Stepwise Surface Arranges Nanotubes

From: sanman (manofsan_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 12/03/04 

Date: 3 Dec 2004 18:42:26 GMT

Here's an interesting article:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=73025

The naturally step-terraced surface of sapphire wafers act to guide
the iron catalyst particles so that they lay out the nanotubes along
the steps. The inner corner/edge of each step attracts the particles
to move along them like a track, because that's where you have 2
adjacent/orthogonal surfaces converging (more surfaces = more
attraction for the particles)

I wonder if lithography techniques could allow for V-troughs or even
U-troughs to be etched onto a silicon wafer surface. These troughs
could then attract the nanotube-forming catalyst particles, which
would form the nanotubes along the troughs as they roll along.