Carbon nanotube film synthesized from ethanol and its oxidation behavior in air

In this paper, we propose an efficient way to synthesize carbon nanotube films using ferrocene and ethanol. The as-grown film is free-standing, semi-transparent, and of macro scale size. The tubes in the film are mostly singleor double-walled. The oxidation behavior of the film is studied via Raman spectroscopy, and the result indicates that the inner wall of the double-walled tube is effectively protected from oxidation by the outer wall.     

Synthesis and characterization of axially periodic Zn2SnO4 dendritic nanostructures

Zn2SnO4 （ZTO） nanowires with a unique dendritic nanostructure were synthesized via a simple one-step thermal evaporation and condensation process. The morphology and microstructure of the ZTO nanodendrite have been investigated by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, x-ray diffraction （XRD） and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. SEM observation revealed the formation of branched nanostructures and showed that each branch exhibited a unique periodic structure formed by a row of overlaid rhombohedra of ZTO nanocrystals along the axis of the nanobranch. HRTEM studies displayed that the branches grew homoepitaxially as single-crystalline nanowires from the ZTO nanowire backbone. A possible growth model of the branched ZTO nanowires is discussed. To successfully prepare branched structures would provide an opportunity for both fundamental research and practical applications, such as three-dimensional nanoelectronics, and opto-electronic nanodevices.