What does Environmental Chemistry have to do with Nanotechnology and Vice Versa? Controlling Matter at the Nanoscale to Reduce Global Scale Impacts

Carbon-based nanomaterials are poised to help overcome many global challenges, including providing renewable energy storage and access to clean water. However, these nanomaterials have synthetic routes that are plagued by inefficient atom conversion and high energetic requirements, often resulting in more environmental damage than they offset through technological advances. Furthermore, the promise of these materials has yet to be realized in the commercial sector due to limitations in manufacturing; in particular, molecular-scale control of shape, alignment, defect density, and chirality is not yet demonstrated at scale. Here, we describe insights gained into carbon nanotube (CNT) formation mechanisms derived from an understanding of gas phase transformations that occur during catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Additionally, the influence of reactive atmosphere on catalyst-on-substrate stability (i.e., sintering and Ostwald ripening) is described. Taken together, a detailed chemical understanding of the reactive atmosphere, the supported catalyst, and their influence on the CNT formation process can be used to simultaneously minimize environmental impacts while maximizing the molecular-scale control during material fabrication.