Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used a surfactant to disperse insulating boron nitride nanotubes and coat them onto surfaces without bundling. The team demonstrated that heat treatment could remove the surfactant to reveal clean nanoscale templates; chemical vapor deposition could then form coaxial nanotubes on the template using a range of materials. The ability to coat nanotubes onto "inert" insulating structures gives scientists unprecedented access to the properties of new nanotube materials.
source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/scientists-use-surfactant-to-help-make-inert-templates-for-nanotube-growth
