Synthesis of sea urchin-like carbon nanotubes on nano-diamond powder

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have unique atomic structure and properties, such as a high aspect ratio and high mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. On the other hand, the agglomeration and entanglement of CNTs restrict their applications. Sea urchin-like multiwalled carbon nanotubes, which have a small aspect ratio, can minimize the problem of dispersion. The high hardness, thermal conductivity and chemical inertness of the nano-diamond powder make it suitable for a wide range of applications in the mechanical and electronic fields. CNTs were synthesized on nano-diamond powder by thermal CVD to fabricate a filler with suitable mechanical properties and chemical stability. This paper reports the growth of CNTs with a sea urchin-like structure on the surface of the nano-diamond powder. Nano-diamond powders were dispersed in an attritional milling system using zirconia beads in ethanol. After the milling process, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APS) was added as a linker. Silanization was performed between the nano-diamond particles and the metal catalyst. Iron chloride was used as a catalyst for the fabrication of the CNTs. After drying, catalyst-attached nano-diamond powders could be achieved. The growth of the carbon nanotubes was carried out by CVD. The CNT morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mean diameter and length of the CNTs were 201 nm and 3.25 microm, respectively.