The influence of Ni catalyst on the growth of carbon nanotubes on Si substrates

This article treats the influence of the treatment of a Ni catalyst upon the growth of carbon nanotubes in alcohol catalytic chemical vapour deposition (AC CVD) equipment. Prior to the growth of diamond, a thin film of Ni was deposited on a silicon substrate by magnetron sputtering. We observed that a combination of annealing of the Ni catalyst in vacuum and NH3 had a positive effect upon the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The prepared CNTs were analysed by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.