(260at) Catalytic CVD Growth of Carbon Nanotube Carpets on Metallic Substrates

To harness the unique properties of carbon nanotube (CNT) carpets for applications in energy storage and thermal management, it is necessary for the CNT arrays to be supported on metallic substrates. Hitherto, growth of high quality, highly dense CNT carpets via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has been largely limited to catalysts supported on amorphous alumina. To overcome the challenge of conducting CNT carpet growth from catalyst supported on non-alumina substrates, surface modification of substrates using ion beam bombardment is being explored to create surface porosity. In addition, a thin layer of AlxOy is deposited prior to the deposition of the catalyst to create a basic surface. These modifications have resulted in CNT carpet growth on stainless steel. Ion beam bombardment of the substrates has demonstrated the ability to reduce film thickness of alumina required to grow CNT carpets on metallic substrates.