Abstract: Low-temperature growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been claimed to provide a route towards chiral-selective growth, enabling a host of applications. In this contribution, we employ reactive molecular dynamics simulations to demonstrate how plasma-based deposition allows such low-temperature growth. We first show how ion bombardment during the growth affects the carbon dissolution and precipitation process. We then continue to demonstrate how a narrow ion energy window allows CNT growth at 500 K. Finally, we also show how CNTs in contrast cannot be grown in thermal CVD at this low temperature, but only at high temperature, in agreement with experimental data. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.