Title : Towards the growth of carbon nanotubes inside cylindrical stainless steel geometries
Abstract:
Researchers have been investigating carbon nanotube synthesis on stainless steel because it is a readily available substrate which contains an abundance of one of the popular transition metals used as a catalyst. The aim of this study is to extend a growth method developed by the author to cylindrical geometries, specifically to grow carbon nanotubes inside a cylinder. This method allows the bulk metal surface to act as both the catalyst and support for the CNT growth and eliminates the requirement of adding an additional catalyst in the process. As a proof of concept, the procedure was optimized and the ideal conditions were determined using a cylinder that is cut in half along its longitudinal axis. Carbon nanotubes were successfully grown uniformly inside the half cylinder by thermal chemical vapor deposition using acetylene as a carbon source and nitrogen as a carrier gas. These results are promising, and the next step is to apply the ideal conditions to uncut cylinders.
