The effect of catalyst formulation and reaction temperature upon the formation of carbon nanotube thin films via chemical vapor deposition was reported. Thin films of carbon nanotubes were grown onto Fe-Mo/Al2O3-coated silicon wafers by the thermal decomposition of methane at 800 to 1000C. The electron microscopic investigations, scanning electron microscopy as well as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, of the as-grown carbon nanotube thin films revealed the growth of abundant uniform multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The intensity ratio of D-band to G-band and full-width at half-maximum of G-band, according to Raman measurements, clearly indicated the dependence of structural defects and crystallinity of carbon nanotubes in thin films upon catalyst formulation and chemical vapor deposition growth temperature. The results suggested that thin films of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with negligible numbers of defects in the nanotube structure, and very high crystallinity, could be obtained by thermal chemical vapor deposition at 925C.

Monitoring Structural Defects and Crystallinity of Carbon Nanotubes in Thin Films. S.S.Mahajan, M.D.Bambole, S.P.Gokhale, A.B.Gaikwad: Pramana, 2010, 74[3], 447-55