Gold nanoparticles grown on multiwall carbon nanotubes

A new method of decorating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with metal nanoparticles (NPs) is proposed. It consists in evaporating a metal layer on CNT deposited on a substrate and subsequent annealing at 400 °C. It is shown that after annealing the Au layer is reshaped and metal nanoparticles are formed. The size of NPs depends mostly on the initial thickness of the metal layer and the thickness of the nanotubes. The Au layers are not detached when decorated CNTs are redispersed in a solvent and deposited again on a support. Au NPs on CNT can be functionalised by well known methods of thiol adsorption and used e.g., in sensors.