abstract
A simple and rapid route for the preparation of iron-based catalyst layers for CVD growth of carbon nanotubes is introduced. The catalyst was deposited by a microwave-assisted nonaqueous sol-gel process onto silicon wafers with or without an Al2O3 buffer layer and onto colloidal silica spheres. High quality vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) mats were grown on planar substrates. The versatility of the catalyst preparation is highlighted by the growth of CNTs onto non-planar surfaces such as the silica spheres.
keywords
METAL-OXIDE NANOPARTICLES; CARBON NANOTUBE FORESTS; NONAQUEOUS SYNTHESIS; SPECTROSCOPY; ROUTE; SIZE
subject category
Chemistry; Crystallography
authors
Silva, RM; Pucci, A; Marichy, C; Mata, D; Ferro, MC; Silva, RF; Pinna, N
our authors
Nicola Pinna
Researcher
Ricardo Manuel Fonseca Lopes da Silva
Post-Doc Fellowship
Rui Ramos Ferreira e Silva
Associate Professoracknowledgements
Seung-Ho Yu from Seoul National University is acknowledged for XPS measurements and fruitful discussion, Igor Bdikin and A. J. S. Fernandes from the University of Aveiro for AFM and Raman spectra, respectively. This work was partially supported by the WCU (World Class University) program through the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (R31-10013) and FCT projects (PTDC/CTM/098361/2008), (SFRH/BD/71453/2010), and (SFRH/BD/45177/2008).