Formation of nanostructures from colloidal solutions of silicon dioxide and carbon nanotubes

The formation of nanostructures from colloidal solutions of amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO$_2$) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in evaporating drops at room temperature has been studied. It is established that spherical aggregates with an average diameter of $\sim$ 2 $\mu$m and rodlike nanostructures with diameters within 250–300 nm and lengths of $\sim$ 4 $\mu$m are formed under these conditions. The mechanisms of covalent and van der Waals interaction between CNTs and SiO$_2$ are considered in the framework of a phenomenological model of the active center of a closed CNT.