HU Zhi-hui1, 2, DONG Shao-ming1, HU Jian-bao1, 2, WANG Zhen1. Synthesis of carbon nanotubes on carbon fibers by modified chemical vapor deposition. New Carbon Mater., 2012, 27(05): 352-361. doi: 10.1016/S1872-5805(12)60021-3
Citation:
HU Zhi-hui1, 2, DONG Shao-ming1, HU Jian-bao1, 2, WANG Zhen1. Synthesis of carbon nanotubes on carbon fibers by modified chemical vapor deposition. New Carbon Mater., 2012, 27(05): 352-361. doi: 10.1016/S1872-5805(12)60021-3
HU Zhi-hui1, 2, DONG Shao-ming1, HU Jian-bao1, 2, WANG Zhen1. Synthesis of carbon nanotubes on carbon fibers by modified chemical vapor deposition. New Carbon Mater., 2012, 27(05): 352-361. doi: 10.1016/S1872-5805(12)60021-3
Citation:
HU Zhi-hui1, 2, DONG Shao-ming1, HU Jian-bao1, 2, WANG Zhen1. Synthesis of carbon nanotubes on carbon fibers by modified chemical vapor deposition. New Carbon Mater., 2012, 27(05): 352-361. doi: 10.1016/S1872-5805(12)60021-3
State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China|2.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Funds:
National Natural Science Foundation of China (51002170), Innovation Program of Shanghai Institute of Ceramics Chinese Academy of Sciences(Y12ZC6160G).
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized on carbon fibers by a modified thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The fibers were first treated at a temperature of 973 K and then treated by a mixture of sulfur acid and nitric acid with a volume ratio of 1∶3 to improve the dispersion of catalyst precursor Fe(NO3)3 · 9H2O on the surface before impregnation with a catalyst solution. The carbon fibers then underwent simultaneous catalyst reduction and CNT growth to decrease the contact time between the transition metal and the carbon fiber surface, and a uniform and thick CNT forest could be obtained with no significant decrease of the mechanical strength of the carbon fibers compared with those produced by traditional thermal CVD. An in-depth analysis shows that the process parameters have a great influence on the CNT growth rate, such as the type of solvent, concentration of Fe(NO3)3 · 9H2O, the ratio of H2 to C2H2, and the growth time. It was revealed that a better CNT forest could be obtained when the catalyst solvent is ethanol, the Fe concentration is 100 mmol/L, the ratio of H2/C2H2 is 4/1, the temperature is 1 023 K and the growth time is 30 min.