Why do you think your paper is highly cited?

Carbon nanotubes including single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are ideal one-dimensional nanostructures for fundamental studies, and for applications as the most important building blocks in nanotechnology because of their diverse, unique, and superior electronic, mechanical, thermal, etc. properties. Before the broad range of applications can be realized, the full spectra of properties have to be studied and understood on well-characterized materials. For SWNTs, control of diameter, length, and chirality is necessary. For MWNTs, besides the necessary control on diameter, length, and chirality, control on the number of walls, alignment, and location of each nanotube and spacing between them have also to be achieved. The research of my group is focused on all these issues of both the SWNTs and MWNTs. In 1998, we reported the first success on growing aligned carbon nanotubes on substrates by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in Science 282, 1105-1107 (1998). However, the technique reported in the Science paper did not offer the location control of each nanotube beforehand. Immediately, we moved one step forward to grow each aligned nanotube at where it is wanted by fabricating the catalytic nickel dot first by electron beam lithography in collaboration with Prof. M. Reed’s group at Yale, and then grow the wanted single carbon nanotube arrays using the technique reported in the Science paper. Our paper entitled "Growth of a Single Free-Standing Multiwall Carbon Nanotube on Each Nano-Nickel Dot" demonstrated that the growth of a single MWNT at precisely where it is wanted is possible for the first time. This technique pointed out a way to make a single MWNT with the diameter, length, location, and spacing under full control. With this success, applications using an electron source such as field emission flat panel displays, scanning probes on microscopic STM, AFM, etc. tips can be realized, which have enabled an exponential growth of research using such techniques to grow aligned carbon nanotubes at the researchers’ wish.