Plasma breaking of thin films into nano-sized catalysts for carbon nanotube synthesis

Iron thin films deposited by pulse laser deposition (PLD) were broken into uniform nano-sized catalysts by plasma bombardment for carbon nanotube (CNT) synthesis. Size distributions of broken catalysts were obtained in terms of plasma discharge conditions. Vertically arranged high-density (10(13) per m(2)) CNTs were synthesized using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) system and the gas mixture of N-2 and CH4 on optimally broken catalysts with few carbonaceous particles on a large area Si substrate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Rarrian spectroscopy (RS) were used to evaluate the obtained CNTs. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.