Synthesis and Characterization of Air-Stable Elemental Fe Thin Films by Chemical Vapor Deposition of Fe₃(CO)₁₂

New magnetic air-stable nanogranular Fe thin films of 10 ± 1.2 nm thickness were prepared onto silicon wafers at 150℃ under inert atmosphere by controlled Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) of triiron dodecacarbonyl (Fe3(CO)12). These thin films, composed of sintered elemental Fe nanoparticles of 4.1 ± 0.7 nm diameter, are protected from air oxidation by a very thin carbon layer. The saturation magnetization of these thin Fe coatings was found to be close to that of bulk iron. The electrical resistivity behavior of the ferromagnetic thin films is similar to that of a semiconductor. In the present manuscript, these Fe thin coatings on Si wafers have been used as a catalyst for synthesizing crystalline carbon nanotubes (CNTs), by CVD using ethylene as a carbon precursor.