Method of making ropes of single-wall carbon nanotubes

A method of making single-wall carbon nanotubes which comprises:

• vaporizing carbon and one or more Group VIII transition metals with a laser, transporting the vapor so formed through an annealing zone, condensing the vapor, and recovering single-wall carbon nanotubes from the material that condenses from the vapor, wherein at least a portion of said single-wall carbon nanotubes are in the form of ropes.

A method of making carbon nanotubes which comprises:

• (a) making a vapor comprising carbon by using a first laser pulse to ablate material from a target comprising carbon and then using a second laser pulse timed to arrive at the target after the end of the first laser pulse and before the material ablated by the first laser pulse has dissipated and focused so that the energy from the second laser pulse is absorbed by the material ablated from the target by the first laser pulse to form a vapor;
• and
• (b) condensing the vapor to form carbon nanotubes, wherein at least a portion of said carbon nanotubes are single-wall carbon nanotubes in the form of ropes.

A method of making single-wall carbon nanotubes which comprises:

• (a) making a first vapor comprising carbon and one or more Group VIII transition metals by vaporizing a mixture of carbon and one or more Group VIII transition metals with a first vaporization means;
• (b) condensing the vapor to form a single-wall carbon nanotube having a live end;
• (c) supplying carbon vapor to the live end of the single-wall carbon nanotube while maintaining the live end of the single-wall carbon nanotube in an annealing zone, wherein ropes of single-wall carbon nanotubes are formed.

A method of making carbon nanotubes which comprises:

• (a) making a vapor comprising carbon by using a first vaporization means to perform a first vaporization to ablate material from a target comprising carbon and a Group VIII transition metal and then using a second vaporization means to perform a second vaporization, said second vaporization timed to ablate the target after the end of the first vaporization and before the material ablated by the first vaporization has dissipated and said second vaporization means focused so that the energy from the second vaporization is absorbed by the material ablated from the target by the first vaporization to form a vapor;
• and
• (b) condensing the vapor to form carbon nanotubes, wherein at least a portion of said carbon nanotubes are single-wall carbon nanotubes in the form of ropes.