(18b) Carbon Nanotube Carpet Growth on Nontraditional Substrates Using an Industrial Gaseous Waste As a Feedstock

Carbon Nanotube
Carpet Growth on Nontraditional Substrates using an Industrial Gaseous Waste as
a Feedstock

Aaron Porter, Xu Li, Placidus Amama

Tim Taylor Department
of Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan KS, 66506

There is
increasing interest in achieving efficient growth of vertically aligned,
high-quality carbon nanotube arrays (CNT carpets). This is due to their
suitability in a wide range of applications such as energy storage, thermally
conductive materials, catalysis, and sensing devices. The preferred method for
CNT synthesis is chemical vapor deposition (CVD) due to its simplicity and
potential of achieving mass production of CNTs with tailored properties.
Typically, the catalytic CVD process involves CNT carpet growth from catalyst
particles that are transition metals (Fe, Co, or Ni). These particles are
supported on a thin film of alumina or silica. However, some of the
applications mentioned above require CNT arrays to be grown directly on
conductive, temperature-sensitive, easily removable substrates or non-alumina
supports. In this study, we explore growth of CNT carpets from a variety of
substrates with different properties, considering composition, phase, basicity,
and surface properties. We will test growth with a conventional feedstock
(ethylene), and our newly developed feedstock (industrial waste gas from
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis). By these means we aim to establish
interrelationships between substrate properties and CNT carpet growth behavior.