Increasing the Yield of Carbon Nanotubes on a Stainless Steel Substrate

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have garnered significant attention in recent years due to their exceptional electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties, making them promising candidates for various applications in nanotechnology, electronics, and materials science. However, realizing the full potential of CNTs requires scalable and cost-effective synthesis methods. Currently, most CNT production methods involve complex and resource-intensive processes, limiting their widespread adoption.

In this research presentation, we detail our efforts to enhance CNT synthesis on a stainless steel substrate. Compared to conventional methods, the use of stainless steel offers a simpler and more accessible platform for bulk CNT synthesis. Our study focuses on optimizing the growth parameters to increase the yield of CNTs on the stainless steel substrate.

Our process uses Chemical Vapor Depostion on a 316L Stainless Steel Substrate. The steel sample is first annealed in air at high temperature, then exposed to ethylene to stimulate growth of carbon nanotubes. Argon is used as an inert medium between steps. We have experimented with a wide range of parameters such as temperature (600 C - 900 C), anneal time (10 sec - 16 min), and growth time (5 sec - 2 hr). We observed a peak in CNT yield after a 2 minute anneal and a 20 minute growth at 750 C, which produced a CNT forest height of 8 μm and a CNT surface density of 20 CNTs/μm^2. At these growth parameters we observe the beginning of an aligned CNT forest. At lower temperatures CNT height may increase but with significantly lowered CNT surface density. SEM analysis was used to gather data.

The outcome of our efforts proves hopeful for the simplifying of CNT synthesis which is crucial for accelerating the integration of CNTs into various applications. This research contributes to the advancement of CNT technology, bringing us closer to harnessing their properties for practical and scalable purposes.