The Effect of Pulse Current on Electrolytically Plating Nickel as a Catalyst for Grafting Carbon Nanotubes onto Carbon Fibers via the Chemical Vapor Deposition Method

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be directly grafted onto the surface of carbon fibers using the chemical vapor deposition method, in which nanometer-order nickel (Ni) particles, serving as catalysts, are plated onto the surface of carbon fibers via electrolytic plating. In our previous studies, in which a direct current (DC) was used to electrolytically plate Ni onto carbon fibers as a catalyst, the site densities and diameters of Ni particles increased simultaneously with the plating time, making it difficult to independently control the site densities and diameters of the particles. On the other hand, pulse current (PC) plating is attracting attention as a plating technique that can control the deposition morphology of nuclei. In this study, we clarify the effect of the parameters of the PC on the particle number per unit area (site density) and the particle diameters of Ni particles plated onto the surface of carbon fibers, using the PC to electrolytically plate Ni. Electrolytically plating Ni onto carbon fibers (via PC) after the removal of the sizing agent enable Ni particles with sparser site densities and larger diameters to be plated than those plated via DC. Using Ni particles with sparse site densities, it is shown that CNTs with sparse site densities can be grafted.