Growth Kinetics of Wall-Number Controlled Carbon Nanotube Arrays

We present a simple model for the growth and termination of carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays. This model was developed by modifying several submodels and provides a comprehensive predictive tool for the CNT growth process as a function of CNT wall number. Wall number, diameter, and areal density-controlled CNT arrays were grown on a reduced graphene film by combining block copolymer lithography and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method. The number of carbonaceous platelets required for the termination of CNT growth process was measured by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and the effective exposed catalyst surface area was measured by high magnification scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A parametric study showed that our simple kinetic model successfully predicted the kinetics of wall number-dependent CNT growth and could be used to optimize the PECVD process for CNT production.