Production of Carbon Nanotubes Forests

We grow forests of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes via Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) in an horizontal quartz tube that is housed in a 3-zone tubular furnace. Growth takes place under inert gas environment, with constant feed of the carbon precursor and catalyst on Si wafers. The morphology of the carpets, of a height of some millimeters, is examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) while characterisation is performed via XRD and Raman. We impregnate the forests with polymers to create nanocomposite materials with unidirectional nanoreinforcement which we test in compression.

Researchers involved:
• Konstantinos Dassios