Modulating the diameter of carbon nanotubes in array form via floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

Based on the analysis of catalyst particle formation and carbon nanotube (CNT) array growth process in floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (CVD), delicately controlled gaseous carbon sources and catalyst precursors were introduced into the reactor for the controllable growth of CNT array. The low feeding rate of ferrocene was realized through low-temperature sublimation. With less ferrocene introduced into the reactor, the collision among the in situ formed iron atoms decreased, which led to the formation of smaller catalyst particles. The mean diameter of the CNT array, grown at 800^oC, decreased from 41 to 31 nm when the ferrocene-sublimed temperature reduced from 80 to 60^oC. Furthermore, low growth temperature was adopted in synthesis, through the modulation of the CNT diameter, by controlling the sintering of catalyst particles and the collision frequency. When the growth temperature was 600^oC, the as-grown CNTs in the array were with a mean diameter of 10.2 nm. If propylene was used as carbon source, the diameter can be modulated in similar trends. The diameter of CNT can be modulated by the parameter of the operation using the same substrate and catalyst precursor without other equipment or previous treatment. Those results provide the possibility for delicately controllable synthesis of CNT array via simple floating catalyst CVD.