Tantalum-oxide catalysed chemical vapour deposition of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes
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Authors
Bayer, BC
Castellarin-Cudia, C
Blume, R
Steiner, SA
Ducati, Caterina https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3366-6442
Abstract
Tantalum-oxide thin films are shown to catalyse single- and multi-walled carbon nanotube growth by chemical vapour deposition. A low film thickness, the nature of the support material (best results with SiO2) and an atmospheric process gas pressure are of key importance for successful nanotube nucleation. Strong material interactions, such as silicide formation, inhibit nanotube growth. In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates that no catalyst reduction to Ta-metal or Ta-carbide occurs during our nanotube growth conditions and that the catalytically active phase is the Ta-oxide phase. Such a reduction-free oxide catalyst can be technologically advantageous.
Description
Keywords
34 Chemical Sciences
Journal Title
RSC Advances
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
2046-2069
2046-2069
2046-2069
Volume Title
3
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Publisher DOI
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/H047565/1)
European Research Council (279342)
European Research Council (279342)
S.H. acknowledges funding from the EPSRC (Grant No. EP/
H047565/1) and from ERC grant InsituNANO (project reference
279342). We acknowledge the Helmholtz-Zentrum-Berlin
BESSY II synchrotron, and we thank the BESSY staff for
continuous support. We acknowledge partial funding from the
EC project Technotubes. C.D. acknowledges the Royal Society
for funding and B.C.B. acknowledges a Research Fellowship
from Hughes Hall, Cambridge.