CVD growth of carbon nanotubes directly on nickel substrate

doi:10.1016/j.matlet.2005.01.043

Materials Letters

Volume 59, Issue 13, June 2005, Pages 1678-1682

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2005.01.043 Get rights and content

Abstract

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of carbon nanotubes directly on nickel substrates was carried out at different temperatures. Effects of temperature on the growth of carbon nanotubes were investigated, and the nucleation and growth mechanism of carbon nanotubes at different temperature ranges were also discussed. Based on the growth mechanism of nanotubes, small amounts of Fe nanoparticles were deposited on the nickel substrate to introduce more nucleation sites at elevated temperature, and the density of nanotubes on the surface of the substrate was greatly improved.

Introduction

Carbon nanotubes have been the focus of intense interest since their discovery [1] and are shown to have superb properties because of their unique morphological characteristics. Potential technical applications in the areas of molecular electronic devices [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], nanocomposites [7], [8], [9], [10], and electron field emission [11], [12], [13], [14], [15] have been proposed or explored. In addition, because of the nature of their structure and chemical bonding, carbon nanotubes are also interesting 1D host materials for lithium intercalation, and several groups have already investigated the application of carbon nanotubes as the anode for lithium batteries [16], [17], [18], [19], [20].

In most cases, the production of nanotube emitters is based on catalytic decomposition of carbon-bearing gases on nanoparticles dispersed on a support. Obviously, such approach involves tedious and time-consuming preparation of supported catalyst nanoparticles. Thus it is particularly attractive to grow carbon nanotubes directly on the surface of catalytically active transition metals such as nickel and cobalt. At the same time, the growth of carbon nanotubes directly on metallic substrates also resolves the problem of adhesion of nanotubes layers and fulfills the requirement for substrate electroconductivity. Such a one-step method is also advantageous in the electrode preparation for lithium battery application because it avoids laborious procedures for incorporating materials into electrode structure, including the use of binders and/or other adhesives, which may occlude the surface of the nanotubes.

There are several reports on the preparation and characterization of carbon nanotubes on metallic substrates [21], [22], [23]. There are also reports on the discovery of carbon nanowires formed on nickel substrates by Fujita et al. [24], and formation of graphite layers during carbon nanotubes growth on Fe–Ni alloy film by Baek et al. [25]. However, either two-step growth process [23] or extreme deposition conditions such as high pressure [21], [22] were required in the processes of nanotube growth. Here we report a simple method to directly grow carbon nanotubes on nickel substrate under normal pressure. Furthermore, the effects of temperature on the growth of carbon nanotubes and the microstructure proof of nanotubes growth mechanism on metallic substrate were discussed.

Section snippets

Growth of the carbon nanotubes

400×400 mesh nickel grids (purity: 99.9%; Ted Pella, Inc.) were used as the catalytic active substrates. The nickel grids were degreased ultrasonically in acetone and dried at room temperature before being loaded into a quartz tube and heated in a high-temperature tube furnace to a desired temperature under a H₂ flow (flow rate: 200 sccm). Upon reaching the desired temperature, ethylene was introduced at a flow rate of 50 sccm, while the flow rate of H₂ was adjusted to 800 sccm. After a period

Effect of temperature on growth of the carbon nanotubes

Fig. 1 illustrates the typical surface features of nickel substrates before and after CVD growth at 650 °C for 2 min. As shown in Fig. 1(a), the surface nickel substrate prior to the CVD growth is relatively smooth, and the nickel grains and grain boundaries can be clearly seen. After CVD growth, we can see that many carbon nanotubes were grown on the substrate although the growth time was only 2 min (as shown in Fig. 1(b)), which means that nucleation and growth of the carbon nanotubes were

Conclusion

We have directly grown carbon nanotubes on nickel substrates using chemical vapor deposition method. It was found that growth temperature has a strong effect on the carbon deposition and growth of carbon nanotubes because of the change of nucleation and growth mechanism of carbon nanotubes at different temperature ranges. At lower temperature, nickel nanoparticles formed from fragmentation of nickel are the nucleation sites for carbon nanotubes; however, at higher temperature, carbon nanotubes

Acknowledgements

Financial support from the University of California Discovery Grant (ele03_10175) and Mytitek, Inc. (Davis, California) is gratefully acknowledged.

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CVD growth of carbon nanotubes directly on nickel substrate

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Growth of the carbon nanotubes

Effect of temperature on growth of the carbon nanotubes

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Physica. B, Condensed Matter

Polymer

Carbon

Applied Surface Science

Carbon

Physica. B, Condensed Matter

Chemical Physics Letters

Chemical Physics Letters

Solid State Ionics

Journal of Power Sources

Solid State Ionics

Chemical Physics Letters

Applied Surface Science