ABSTRACT Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) offer the prospect of both new fundamental science and useful (nano)technological applications1. High yields (70–90%) of SWNTs close-packed in

bundles can be produced by laser ablation of carbon targets2. The electric-arc technique used to generate fullerenes and multi-walled nanotubes is cheaper and easier to implement, but

previously has led to only low yields of SWNTs3,4. Here we show that this technique can generate large quantities of SWNTs with similar characteristics to those obtained by laser ablation.

This suggests that the (still unknown) growth mechanism for SWNTs must be independent of the details of the technique used to make them. The ready availability of large amounts of SWNTs,

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Montpellier and Nantes groups were supported by the European Community through its Training and Mobility of Researchers programme. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND

AFFILIATIONS * Groupe de Dynamique des Phases Condensées, Université de Montpellier II, Montpellier, 34095 cedex 5, France C. Journet, W. K. Maser & P. Bernier * LPS, ONERA, BP 72,

Chǎtillon, 92322, cedex, France A. Loiseau * IMN, Université de Nantes, BP 32229, Nantes, 44322 cedex 3, France M. Lamy de la Chapelle, S. Lefrant & P. Deniard * LRSM, University of

Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104-6272, Pennsylvania, USA R. Lee & J. E. Fischer Authors * C. Journet View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

* W. K. Maser View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * P. Bernier View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google

Scholar * A. Loiseau View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * M. Lamy de la Chapelle View author publications You can also search for this

author inPubMed Google Scholar * S. Lefrant View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * P. Deniard View author publications You can also search for

this author inPubMed Google Scholar * R. Lee View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * J. E. Fischer View author publications You can also

search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to P. Bernier. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE

Journet, C., Maser, W., Bernier, P. _et al._ Large-scale production of single-walled carbon nanotubes by the electric-arc technique. _Nature_ 388, 756–758 (1997).

https://doi.org/10.1038/41972 Download citation * Received: 18 April 1997 * Accepted: 17 June 1997 * Issue Date: 21 August 1997 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/41972 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone

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