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US 10,921,279 B2Granted
Fabrication of high aspect ratio tall free standing posts using carbon-nanotube (CNT) templated microfabrication
AssigneeBrigham Young University
InventorsGuohai Chen, Robert C. Davis, Richard Vanfleet
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Abstract
In a general aspect, an apparatus can include a substrate and a post disposed on the substrate. The post can include a plurality of nanotubes and extend substantially vertically from the substrate. The post can have an aspect ratio of a height of the post to a diameter of the post of greater than or equal to 25:1.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- a micro-scale, free-standing post disposed on the substrate, the micro-scale, free-standng post having a height-to-diameter aspect ratio of greater than or equal to 25:1, the micro-scale, free-standing post including:
- a plurality of nanotubes, the micro-scale, free-standing post extending substantially vertically from the substrate;
- and
- an infiltration material that, over a height of the micro-scale, free-standing post, structurally links nanotubes of the plurality of nanotubes together.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing a substrate;
- forming a patterned catalyst layer on the substrate, the patterned catalyst layer defining a template for carbon nanotube growth, the template defining a pattern for formation of:
- a first micro-scale carbon nanotube post;
- a second micro-scale carbon nanotube post;
- and
- a supporting structure disposed between the first micro-scale carbon nanotube post and the second micro-scale carbon nanotube post;
- growing carbon nanotubes on the patterned catalyst layer to form the first micro-scale carbon nanotube post, the second micro-scale carbon nanotube post and the supporting structure, the first micro-scale carbon nanotube post and the second micro-scale carbon nanotube post each having a height-to-diameter aspect ratio of greater than or equal to 25:1, the supporting structure having height-to-width aspect ratio of greater than or equal to 200:1;
- infiltrating, over a height of the first micro-scale carbon nanotube post and the second micro-scale carbon nanotube post, carbon nanotubes of the first micro-scale carbon nanotube post and carbon nanotubes the second micro-scale carbon nanotube post with an infiltration material, the infiltration material:
- over the height of the first micro-scale carbon nanotube post, structurally linking carbon nanotubes of the first micro-scale carbon nanotube post together;
- and
- over the height of the second micro-scale carbon nanotube post, structurally linking carbon nanotubes of the second micro-scale carbon nanotube post together;
- and
- removing the supporting structure, such that each of the first micro-scale carbon nanotube post and the second micro-scale carbon nanotube post are free-standing and extend substantially vertically from the substrate.
10 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- an array of micro-scale, free-standing carbon nanotube posts disposed on the substrate, each micro-scale, free-standing carbon nanotube post of the array of micro-scale, free-standing carbon nanotube posts including a plurality of nanotubes and extending substantially vertically from the substrate, each micro-scale, free-standing carbon nanotube post of the array of micro-scale, free-standing carbon nanotube posts having a height-to-diameter aspect ratio of greater than or equal to 25:1, each of the micro-scale, free-standing carbon nanotube posts including an infiltration material that, over a height of a micro-scale, free-standing post of the array of micro-scale, free-standing carbon nanotube posts, structurally links nanotubes of a respective plurality of nanotubes together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.