Abstract
Using electron beam irradiation in an electron microscope, researchers at the Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey, UK, obtained evidence for the relationship between catalyst and carbon in the growth of carbon nanotubes. By considering the effects of heating and irradiation, the group observed that the carbon atoms at the catalyst surface are easily removed followed by a rapid rearrangement of the nanotube's atoms around the catalyst. Furthermore, they discovered that changes in the nanotube's growth direction are linked to a sudden rotation of the catalyst.