Carbon nanotubes synthesis time versus their layer height

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to present an approach for the optimisation of a synthesis process of Vertically Aligned Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (VAMWCNTs) with Catalytic-Chemical Vapour Deposition (CCVD) on a silicon substrate. Design/methodology/approach: Scanning and transmission electron microscopy was applied for showing the structure and morphology of the synthesised multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Findings:The article presents and characterises nanostructural carbon materials fabricated with the CCVD method using an Fe catalyst deposited on a silicon substrate. SEM and TEM examinations have confirmed that a vertical layer of a CNTs “forest” growing on a silicon substrate containing a metallic catalyst is obtained and enabled to select optimum time for their growth process. Practical implications: Vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes can be applied in numerous fields of technology, especially in scanning probes, photovoltaic cells, anisotropic conductive materials, semiconductors, membranes, chemical and biological sensors, field emitters in nanoelectronics and in molecular electronics. Originality/value: An approach is presented of optimising the synthesis time of VAMWCNTs with a metallic catalyst using CCVD with an EasyTube® 2000 device by FirstNano.