Abstract
Synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was carried out using methane as a carbon source via the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. A thin stainless-steel foil was used as catalyst for CNT growth. Our results revealed that pretreatment step of the stainless-steel foil as a catalyst plays an important role in CNT formation. In our experiments, a catalyst pretreatment temperature of 850 °C or 950 °C was found to facilitate the creation of Fe- and Cr-rich particles are active sites on the foil surface, leading to CNT formation. It is noted that the size of metallic particles after pretreatment is closely related to the diameter of the synthesized CNTs. It is interesting that a shorter catalyst pretreatment brings the growth of semiconducting typed CNTs while a longer pretreatment creates metallic CNTs. This finding might lead to a process for improving the quality of CNTs grown on steel foil as catalyst.
Highlights
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene are the most promising materials for various applications due to their outstanding characteristics such as high thermal and electrical conductivities, optical absorption, and mechanical strength
TGA results of the synthesized CNTs reveal that they possess almost 100% of nanocarbons and the amorphous phase was not found
We investigated the CNT synthesis based on a commercial stainless-steel foil as a catalyst using methane as a carbon source precursor
Summary
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene are the most promising materials for various applications due to their outstanding characteristics such as high thermal and electrical conductivities, optical absorption, and mechanical strength. The most popular method for CNT synthesis is via hydrocarbon decomposition at high temperature in the presence of a catalyst. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is considered an advanced method for CNT production on industrial scale due to high yield and high purity of the product obtained from a low growth temperature (less than 1000 ◦ C). Hydrocarbons are the preferred feedstock for CNT synthesis using the CVD method with the catalyst in a powder form or as a thin film on a substrate surface. The cost for waste treatment and purification steps are very high and contribute significantly to the total CNT production cost. A thin-film catalyst can produce higher-quality CNTs without purification steps
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
