The Optimization of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes’ Synthesis According to the Selected Parameters

Abstract

Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs or CNTs) were synthetized by thermal chemical vapor deposition method on the Si/SiO2 substrates, using Al/Fe as catalyst. In the present study, the influence of the annealing duration and synthesis time on the length, grow rate and quality of the VACNTs according to 9 different regimes was investigated. The outcomes of the study was observed using scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy analysis was utilized in order to evaluate the quality of the obtained nanotubes. Results have shown that the length of the VACNTs increases with the rise of annealing time, however only to a certain degree, after which the deterioration of the nanotubes occurs and the reduction of their length is noticeable.