ABSTRACT
Morphologies and sizes of nanoparticles determine the properties and application. Achieving the desired physical and chemical properties of nanoscale materials through varying the crystal size and shape is a major driving force in nanoscience research. A variety of synthetic strategies including template-mediated and template-free approaches have been developed for the synthesis of nanoparticles with controllable structure and composition. The growth of carbon nanotubes (CNT) is believed to occur via a scooter mechanism, in which a single-catalyst atom travels, or scoots, around the end of an open tube, absorbing carbon from the argon atmosphere, and feeding this into the graphene sheet. The synthesis of a doped catalyst is an important approach in band gap engineering to change the optical response of the semiconducting nanoparticle. Synthesis of doping leads to photocatalytic systems that exhibit enhanced efficiency to maintain the integrity of the crystal structure of the photocatalyst.
