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Effect of the chemical vapor deposition process on the aspect ratio of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs)

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Abstract

Various vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNT) are prepared to utilize iron seed catalysts of selected layer thicknesses at controlled chemical vapor deposition growth conditions. The growth processes are improved by optimizing the argon-to-hydrogen and hydrogen-to-hydrocarbon ratios and water vapor flow rates. The effects of gas flow ratios, water vapor flow rates, and growth time on VACNT growth rates and aspect ratios are determined. The analytical studies include Raman spectroscopy to assess the characteristic bands of carbon nanotubes, as well as scanning electron microscopy to evaluate the array structures of carbon nanotubes. Findings show that VACNT with 422 × 103 aspect ratios can be achieved with Ar/H2 of ~ 15 and H2/C2H4 of ~ 2 at 10–20 sccm of water vapor.

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Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Higher Education for this research through the Promising Centre for Sensors and Electronic Devices (PCSED) at Najran University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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  1. Chemical Engineering Department, Najran University, Najran, 11001, Saudi Arabia

    Fahd Rajab

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  1. Fahd Rajab
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Rajab, F. Effect of the chemical vapor deposition process on the aspect ratio of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs). MRS Advances 8, 343–348 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-022-00392-2

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