AVS 47th International Symposium
    Nanotubes - Science and Applications Tuesday Sessions
       Session NM+NS-TuM

Paper NM+NS-TuM2
Carbon Nanotube Growth on Nanoparticle Catalyst Patterns by Chemical Vapor Deposition

Tuesday, October 3, 2000, 8:40 am, Room 309

Session: Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis
Presenter: J.W. Ward, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Authors: J.W. Ward, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
P.M. Ajayan, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
G. Ramanath, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
L. Kish, Uppsala University, Sweden
R. Vajtar, Uppsala University, Sweden
Correspondent: Click to Email
Growing nanotubes on catalyst template patterns on flat substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a promising approach for creating nano- and meso-scale architectures for a variety of applications such as micro- and bio- electronics devices, and skeletal reinforcements for layered composites. Here, we report the unique morphology and junction-formation potential of CVD-grown carbon nanotubes on catalyst patterns fabricated by a nanoparticle writer. Patterns of Ni, Co, and Ni-Co alloys with different average particle sizes and spatial distributions were prepared on Si substrates and exposed to methane at 1000 °C. Our results show that multiwalled carbon nanotubes grow on nanoparticles. There is a close correlation between the nanotube diameter and the catalyst particle size. The nanotubes exhibit a large number of bends and turns. In several cases, the nanotubes grow from one particle and terminate at another, thereby connecting two nanoparticles lying on the substrate. Based upon our results, we propose a phenomenological explanation for nanotube-bridging. Controlling the formation of such nanobridges could provide a basis for simultaneous selection of both nucleation and termination sites, which is an important requirement for realizing nanotube-based network architectures.