Very High Yield Growth of Vertically Aligned Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Point-Arc Microwave Plasma CVD

Facile growth of carbon nanotubes using microwave ovens: the emerging application of highly efficient domestic plasma reactors

The facile growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using microwave radiation reveals a new way for the cost-effective synthesis of CNTs for a wide range of applications. In this regard, domestic microwave ovens can be used as convenient plasma reactors to grow CNTs in a very fast, simple, energy-saving and solvent-free manner. The special heating mechanism of microwaves can not only accomplish the fast growth of high-density CNT brushes within tens of seconds, but also eliminate the need for a flammable gaseous carbon source and an expensive furnace. By carefully selecting the substrate and catalyst, low-temperature growth of CNTs can also be achieved on low-melting point organic polymers at atmospheric pressure. Highly localized heating near the catalyst nanoparticles was observed under microwave irradiation, and this phenomenon can be utilized to grow CNTs at desired locations on the substrate to fabricate CNT-based nanoelectronics in situ. Finally, the microwave growth of CNTs is highly adaptive to different carbon sources, substrates and catalysts, showing enormous potential to generate functionalized CNT-based composites for emerging advanced applications.

Catalytic CVD synthesis of boron nitride and carbon nanomaterials - synergies between experiment and theory

Low-dimensional carbon and boron nitride nanomaterials - hexagonal boron nitride, graphene, boron nitride nanotubes and carbon nanotubes - remain at the forefront of advanced materials research. Catalytic chemical vapour deposition has become an invaluable technique for reliably and cost-effectively synthesising these materials. In this review, we will emphasise how a synergy between experimental and theoretical methods has enhanced the understanding and optimisation of this synthetic technique. This review examines recent advances in the application of CVD to synthesising boron nitride and carbon nanomaterials and highlights where, in many cases, molecular simulations and quantum chemistry have provided key insights complementary to experimental investigation. This synergy is particularly prominent in the field of carbon nanotube and graphene CVD synthesis, and we propose here it will be the key to future advances in optimisation of CVD synthesis of boron nitride nanomaterials, boron nitride - carbon composite materials, and other nanomaterials generally.

Optical properties of ordered carbon nanotube arrays grown in porous anodic alumina templates

We have synthesized ordered carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays in porous anodic alumina (PAA) matrix, and have characterized their total optical reflectance and bi-directional reflectance distribution function after each processing step of the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition process (MPCVD). For a PAA sample without CNT growth, the reflectance shows an oscillating pattern with wavelength that agrees reasonably with a multilayer model. During the MPCVD process, heating the sample significantly reduces the reflectance by 30-40%, the plasma treatment reduces the reflectance by another 5-10%, and the CNT growth further reduces the reflectance by 2-3%. After an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, the reflectance increases to the embedded CNT arrays. After etching and exposure of CNT tips, the reflectance almost returns to the original pattern with slightly higher reflectance. Bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) measurements show that the CNT-PAA surface is quite specular as indicated by a large lobe at the specular angle, while the secondary lobe can be attributed to surface roughness.

Carbon nanotube mass production: principles and processes

Our society requires new materials for a sustainable future, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are among the most important advanced materials. This Review describes the state-of-the-art of CNT synthesis, with a focus on their mass-production in industry. At the nanoscale, the production of CNTs involves the self-assembly of carbon atoms into a one-dimensional tubular structure. We describe how this synthesis can be achieved on the macroscopic scale in processes akin to the continuous tonne-scale mass production of chemical products in the modern chemical industry. Our overview includes discussions on processing methods for high-purity CNTs, and the handling of heat and mass transfer problems. Manufacturing strategies for agglomerated and aligned single-/multiwalled CNTs are used as examples of the engineering science of CNT production, which includes an understanding of their growth mechanism, agglomeration mechanism, reactor design, and process intensification. We aim to provide guidelines for the production and commercialization of CNTs. Although CNTs can now be produced on the tonne scale, knowledge of the growth mechanism at the atomic scale, the relationship between CNT structure and application, and scale-up of the production of CNTs with specific chirality are still inadequate. A multidisciplinary approach is a prerequisite for the sustainable development of the CNT industry.

Plasma-assisted approaches in inorganic nanostructure fabrication

Plasma is a unique medium for chemical reactions and materials preparations, which also finds its application in the current tide of nanostructure fabrication. Although plasma-assisted approaches have been long used in thin-film deposition and the top-down scheme of micro-/nanofabrication, fabrication of zero- and one-dimensional inorganic nanostructures through the bottom-up scheme is a relatively new focus of plasma application. In this article, recent plasma-assisted techniques in inorganic zero- and one-dimensional nanostructure fabrication are reviewed, which includes four categories of plasma-assisted approaches: plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, thermal plasma sintering with liquid/solid feeding, thermal plasma evaporation and condensation, and plasma treatment of solids. The special effects and the advantages of plasmas on nanostructure fabrication are illustrated with examples, emphasizing on the understandings and ideas for controlling the growth, structure, and properties during plasma-assisted fabrications. This Review provides insight into the utilization of the special properties of plasmas in nanostructure fabrication.

Patterned carbon nanotube growth using an electron beam sensitive direct writable catalyst

This paper reports the use of spin coatable Fe naphthenate (Fe(C(11)H(7)O(2))(2)) as an electron beam sensitive direct writable catalyst suitable for growing high quality carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Vertically aligned, densely packed, equal in height, three- to four-walled and 5-7 nm inner diameter CNTs were grown on the nanoscale stripe patterns by water-assisted chemical vapor deposition. The correlation between electron beam dosage and the growth characteristics of CNTs is also discussed.

Single-walled carbon nanotube pillars: a superhydrophobic surface

A series of SWNT arrays have been constructed by disproportionation of carbon monoxide on Co-Mo catalyst films deposited on flat Si wafer substrates. The arrays include a two-dimensional SWNT thin film prepared by spraying a SWNT suspension, as well as random SWNT networks, and vertically aligned SWNT. In addition, a novel SWNT array has been developed and termed SWNT "pillars". These pillars are prepared by controlled synthesis of SWNT over a templated substrate. When water droplets are deposited on these surfaces, it is observed that the static contact angle changes dramatically with the type of SWNT array. The higher is the degree of surface roughness (at the nano and microscales) of these structures, the higher is the contact angle. The novel SWNT pillars exhibit superhydrophobicity (i.e., contact angle approximately 160 degrees). To quantify the effect of surface roughness, two simple models have been employed. The Wenzel model can be used to quantify the behavior of the SWNT thin films while the Cassie-Baxter model is used for the SWNT arrays with three-dimensional structure (grass, forest, and pillars).

Effect of ion bombardment on the synthesis of vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

The synthesis of vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (VA-SWNTs) by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) was achieved at 500-600 °C, using ethylene as the carbon source and 1 nm Fe film as the catalyst. For growth of high-quality VA-SWNTs in a plasma sheath, it is crucial to alleviate the undesirable ion bombardment etching effects by the optimization of plasma input power and gas pressure. The resistibility of synthesized VA-SWNTs against ion bombardment etching was found to be closely related to the growth temperature. At relatively low temperature (500 °C), the VA-SWNTs were very susceptible to ion bombardments, which could induce structural defects, and even resulted in a structural transition to few-walled nanotubes. For capacitively coupled radio frequency (rf) PECVD operating at moderate gas pressure (0.3-10 Torr), the ion bombardment etching effect is mainly dependent on the ion flux, which is related to the plasma input power and gas pressure.

Mechanism analysis of interrupted growth of single-walled carbon nanotube arrays

We investigated the growth mechanism of layered single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) mats by a cutting method. Transmission electron microscope observations revealed that new SWNTs grown below first grown SWNTs also have caps at their tips. Raman spectroscopy suggests that the SWNTs in each layer have the same chirality distribution. This growth method might be a way to prove a factor of chirality selection of SWNTs.

Rapid growth and flow-mediated nucleation of millimeter-scale aligned carbon nanotube structures from a thin-film catalyst

We discuss the rapid growth of films and lithographically templated microstructures of vertically aligned small-diameter multiwalled carbon nanotubes (VA-MWNTs), by atmospheric-pressure thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of C2H4/H2/Ar on a Fe/Al2O3 catalyst film deposited by electron beam evaporation. The structures grow to 1 mm height in 15 min and reach close to 2 mm in 60 min. The growth rate and final height of CNT microstructures grown from catalyst patterns depend strongly on the local areal density of catalyst, representing a reverse analogue of loading effects which occur in plasma etching processes. Abrupt transitions between areas of micrometer-thick tangled CNT films and millimeter-scale aligned CNT structures are manipulated by changing the duration of pretreatment by H2/Ar prior to introduction of C2H4 and by changing the configuration of the substrate sample in the furnace tube. This demonstrates that the flow profile over the sample mediates the supply of reactants to the catalyst and that pretreatment using H2 significantly affects the initial activity of the catalyst.

Growth Kinetics of 0.5 cm Vertically Aligned Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Half-centimeter-high mats of vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes were grown at 600 degrees C by point-arc microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. The mats were produced from 0.5 nm of an Fe catalyst layer, thus showing one of the highest catalytic yields of approximately 105 times. The growth process shows a lack of poisoning of the catalyst, in contrast to other reports. The experimental results confirm that the growth rate is ultimately limited by the gas phase diffusion of hydrocarbon radicals.

Direct Evidence for Root Growth of Vertically Aligned Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

The root growth mode of extremely dense and vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) synthesized by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition was clarified by a new method, marker growth, which does not require transmission electron microscopy. SWNT layers were grown intermittently on a substrate, and a line between the layers was used as a marker to identify the growth mode. Micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed that the SWNT layers have the same diameter distribution.