Effects of Growth Temperature on Carbon Nanotube Forests Synthesized by Water-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition

摘要

Carbon nanotube (CNT) forests were synthesized at various temperatures between 805-830 degrees C by water-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The height and the yield of CNT forests increased about 3 times as the temperature rose, while the crystallinity improved slightly, which suggests that relatively high growth temperature was desirable for efficient growth of high-quality CNTs. Investigation on growth curves revealed that the CNTs grew faster as the temperature increased, but the catalyst lifetime first showed a notable increase, then a decrease. Effects of the temperature on the growth kinetics were interpreted in terms of heat history of carbon feedstock and evolution of the catalyst morphology.