Interactions between metals and carbon nanotubes: at the interface between old and new materials

The article reviews the interaction between crystalline metals and carbon nanotubes in nanocomposite systems. Starting with an introduction to the chemical interaction between metal atoms and graphitic layers, an overview of the fields of nanotechnology is given where metal–carbon interaction comes into play. The interface between metals and carbon nanotubes is of interest in junctions between nanotubes and their periphery, for example in metallic contacts for electronic devices or in metal supports for carbon nanotube components. Furthermore, metals determine the catalytic growth of carbon nanotubes. The behaviour of individual metal atoms in or on carbon nanotubes is treated as well as the interaction between crystalline metals and nanotube surfaces. Emphasis is put on the common mechanisms of metal–carbon interaction that play a role in such different fields as the electrical transport through a metal–nanotube contact or the catalytic growth of nanotubes from metal particles.