Growth of long and aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes on carbon and metal substrates

Abstract

Well aligned, long and dense multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) can be grown on both carbon fibres and any metal substrates compatible with the CNT synthesis temperature. The injection-CVD process developed involves two stages, including fibre pretreatment by depositing a SiO2-based sub-layer from an organometallic precursor followed by CNT growth from toluene/ferrocene precursor mixture. Carbon substrates, as well as metals, can easily be treated with this process, which takes place in the same reactor and does not need any handling in between the two stages. The aligned CNT carpets obtained are similar to the ones grown on reference quartz substrates. The CNT growth rate is fairly high (ca. 30 μm min−1) and it is possible to control CNT length by varying the CNT synthesis duration. The thickness of the SiO2-based sub-layer can be varied and is shown to have an influence on the CNT growth. This layer is assumed to play a diffusion barrier layer role between the substrate and the iron based catalyst nanoparticles producing CNT. The CNT anchorage to the carbon fibres has been checked and good overall adhesion proved, which is in favour of a good transfer of electrical charge and heat between the nanotubes and fibre.