Single-walled carbon nanotube growth on SiO2/Si using Rh catalysts by alcohol gas source chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

We carried out single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) growth on SiO2/Si substrates using Rh as catalysts by a cold-wall chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method in a high vacuum using a nozzle injector for the ethanol gas supply. By optimizing the ethanol pressure, we could grow SWCNTs at 600 and 700°C. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy, we determined the diameter distributions of the SWCNTs and found that the SWCNTs grown at 600°C have a narrow diameter distribution and that the diameters of most of SWCNTs are between 1.1 and 1.4nm. TEM observation showed that the SWCNT diameters are similar to the Rh catalyst particle sizes, and that the reduction in SWCNT diameter was caused by the decrease in catalyst size with decreasing temperature.