Influence of catalyst structures on carbon nanotubes growth via methane-CVD

Controllable growth of carbon nanotubes on a silicon chip at a desired position still remains a great challenge, which calls for catalyst of high efficiency. In this study, Fe-Ru bimetallic nanoparticles with three different structures have been prepared by a polyol method and used as efficient catalysts for growth of carbon nanotube via methane CVD. High resolution transmission electron microscopes (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) were used to characterize the structure and composition of Fe-Ru bimetallic nanoparticles. The as synthesized carbon nanotubes were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy. The Fe-Ru bimetallic nanoparticles were proved to be good catalyst for synthesis single-walled carbon nanotubes with high quality. The results indicate that the catalyst structure as well as the catalyst composition had significant effect on the carbon nanotubes growth. Results of this study are useful in understanding of the growth of SWCNTs by methane CVD and in designing new functional catalyst for carbon nanotube growth.