Alignment and wall control of ultra long carbon nanotubes in water assisted chemical vapour deposition

作者：Patole S P; Alegaonkar P S; Shin Hyun Chang; Yoo Ji Beom^*

来源：Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics , 2008, 41(15): 155311.

DOI：10.1088/0022-3727/41/15/155311

This study examined the correlation between the thickness of the iron catalyst film deposited by e-beam evaporation and carbon nanotube (CNT) growth by water-assisted chemical vapour deposition. The number of walls and the alignment of the CNTs in the CNT forest could be controlled by the iron thickness. High resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to examine the catalyst size distribution and individual CNT structure. Atomic force microscopy was used to analyse the surface roughness. The correlation between the surface roughness, catalyst agglomeration, number of walls in the CNT and the alignment of the CNTs in the CNT forest was established. The CNTs grown on an iron catalyst ranging in thickness from 0.1 to 0.5 nm were well aligned with 2-4 walls. On the other hand, the CNTs grown on an iron catalyst ranging in thickness from 0.6 to 1 nm were less well aligned with 4-10 walls. The CNTs grown on an iron catalyst >1 nm in thickness were misaligned with 8-16 walls. The significance of these experimental trends is discussed within the framework of the clusters aggregation and Van der Waals interaction.

• 出版日期2008-8-7