Preparation of very long and open aligned carbon nanotubes

Very long and open aligned carbon nanotubes that reach about 2 mm long, an order of magnitude longer than previously reached, have been prepared by chemical vapor deposition over silica dioxide substrates on the surface, where iron/silica nano-composite particles are evenly positioned. The nanotubes are naturally opened at the bottom ends. The growth mechanism of the very long and open-ended nanotubes is also discussed.