Controllable Preparation and Mechanism Study of Easy‐Peel High‐Density and Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Forests

Abstract

The stripping of carbon nanotube forests (CNTF) is an urgent problem in terms of its application in thermal management and semiconductor devices. The easy‐peel and vertically aligned CNTF is prepared in a two‐step process of high vacuum magnetron sputtering and chemical vapor deposition. Based on the thick alumina buffer layer, CNTF with heights of 100 μm, 300 μm, and 500 μm was prepared by adjusting the magnetron sputtering power. Through SEM observation and calculation, the corresponding densities were 2.5 × 109 cm−2, 6.4 × 109 cm−2, and 1.21 × 1010 cm−2, with an average curvature of 1.64 × 102 m−1, 1.35 × 102 m−1 and 0.53 × 102 m‐−1, respectively. The TEM, XPS, Raman, and TGA were used to investigate the growth mechanism of CNTF. The experimental results show that the catalyst particles annealed under high sputtering power refined with high density can grow a low‐defect, well‐oriented, and high‐density CNTF, and confirm the tip growth route. Further analysis shows that the easy‐peel properties of CNTF depend on the thickness of the alumina layer, the tip growth route, and the tight entanglement between the nanotubes. This paper provides technical guidance and support for the preparation, stripping, and application of monolithic CNTF.