The possibility of using Al buffer layers for the catalytic chemical vapor deposition growth of carbon nanotubes has been investigated by in situ photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that at the temperatures used for carbon nanotube growth, typically well above the eutectic temperature of the Al-Si system, the liquid Al-Si alloy formed getters efficiently the metallic catalyst away from the surface, thus precluding nanotube growth. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.