Fabrication and characterization of 3D graphite-CNT structures

• Main Author: Tan, Yun Hui
• Other Authors: Tay Beng Kang
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/77330
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Graphite, graphene and carbon nanotubes are the carbon allotropes of carbon. The combination of carbon allotropes has attracted great attention and emerged as a new class of promising materials which has exciting potential in the application of energy storage devices such as high-performance supercapacitors, field-effect transistors and batteries, owing to their large specific surface areas as well as unique electrical and mechanical properties. The aim of this project is to fabricate a 3D graphite-carbon nanotube structure using Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition method, where nickel foam is used as the substrate and ethanol is used as the carbon source. Full coverage of graphite is fabricated on the nickel foam by varying the gas flow rate of argon and hydrogen gas. The graphite is then served as the substrate for carbon nanotube fabrication. The primary focus of the project is to optimize the growth of carbon nanotubes by tuning the parameters such as the concentration of liquid catalyst, the thickness of solid catalyst and growth temperature. Characterizations for each fabrication process are done using the Scanning Electron Microscope and Raman Spectroscopy. The results show that graphite-carbon nanotubes structures are fabricated as desired using solid Ni catalyst. The fabrication process of carbon nanotubes is the most crucial and challenging stage in growing the hybrid structures as the properties of the nickel catalyst have a significant effect on the carbon nanotube growth.