Growth of single-walled carbon nanotube

• Main Author: Soh, Edna Wei Ling.
• Other Authors: Li Lain-Jong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Materials
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/15326
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Carbon Nanotubes are of interest because of their extraordinary strength, unique electrical properties and heat conduction abilities that make them potentially useful in areas of nanotechnology, electronics, optics and even architectural fields. However their usage is limited by the lack of control in fabrication techniques. Therefore in this report, the studies on effects of various synthesis parameters for the fabrication of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNT) using Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) were conducted. Studies include depositing different liquid catalysts on quartz and silicon oxide/nitride substrates using various techniques, and changing growth parameters such as the operating temperature, precursor feedstock and composition According to contact angle results, the best way to achieve a good wetting of catalyst solution on the substrate for the purpose synthesizing SWNT is by cleaning the substrate with Piranha Solution. Uniform distribution and agglomeration of the catalyst particles on substrates can be obtained by drop casting or immersion with ultra-sonication according to Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) results. SWNT were grown with methane and ethanol systems, 1 of which was a self-assembled set-up created to deepen the understanding of the operation and synthesis of CNT using a CVD system. Methane systems generally were able to synthesized highly dense CNT while ethanol systems synthesized relatively longer, less dense CNT. With a better understanding of the growth mechanism, a fairly new method of growth of CNT was also experimented with; Contact Printing.