Methods for the production of aligned carbon nanotubes and nanostructured material containing the same
AssigneeSeldon Technologies, LLC
InventorsChristopher H. Cooper, Hai-Feng Zhang, Richard Czerw
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Abstract
Disclosed herein is a scaled method for producing substantially aligned carbon nanotubes by depositing onto a continuously moving substrate, (1) a catalyst to initiate and maintain the growth of carbon nanotubes, and (2) a carbon-bearing precursor. Products made from the disclosed method, such as monolayers of substantially aligned carbon nanotubes, and methods of using them are also disclosed.
Claims30
A method for producing substantially aligned carbon nanotubes, said method comprising:
- depositing onto a continuously moving substrate,
- (1) a catalyst support,
- (2) a catalyst on the catalyst support to form a catalyst layer and to initiate and maintain the growth of carbon nanotubes, and
- (3) a carbon-bearing precursor on the catalyst layer, wherein the carbon-bearing precursor is preheated by a delivery manifold prior to being introduced into the CVD reactor;
- and
- growing nanotubes inside of a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor at conditions that promote the growth of substantially aligned carbon nanotubes on the moving substrate, wherein said catalyst support is treated prior to depositing said catalyst thereon.
A method for producing substantially aligned carbon nanotubes, said method comprising depositing onto a semi-continuous or continuously moving substrate:
- (1) a catalyst support,
- (2) a catalyst on the catalyst support to form a catalyst layer and to initiate and maintain the growth of carbon nanotubes, said catalyst comprising iron, cobalt, nickel, platinum, lead, palladium, copper, gold, or any combination or alloy thereof;
- and
- (3) a carbon-bearing precursor on the catalyst layer at a flow rate per unit substrate surface ranging from 10 ml/(cm2 min) to 400 ml/(cm2 min);
- and
- growing nanotubes inside of a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor at a temperature ranging from 600 to 1,100 degrees Celsius, wherein said substrate comprises a flexible or rigid tape, wire, ribbon, cylindrical, or ring substrate of platinum, palladium, iridium, iron, cobalt, nickel, chromium, carbon, silicon, aluminum, magnesium carbon, combinations, alloys or oxides thereof.
A method for producing substantially aligned carbon nanotubes, said method comprising:
- depositing onto a continuously moving substrate,
- (1) a catalyst support,
- (2) a catalyst on the catalyst support to form a catalyst layer and to initiate and maintain the growth of carbon nanotubes, and
- (3) a carbon-bearing precursor on the catalyst layer;
- and
- growing nanotubes inside of a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor at conditions that promote the growth of substantially aligned carbon nanotubes on the moving substrate, wherein said catalyst support is treated prior to depositing said catalyst thereon and the depositing of at least one of (2) or (3) in the CVD reactor is performed using at least one technique chosen from chemical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced physical vapor deposition, or combinations thereof.
A method for producing substantially aligned carbon nanotubes, said method comprising:
- depositing onto a continuously moving substrate,
- (1) a catalyst support,
- (2) a catalyst on the catalyst support to form a catalyst layer and to initiate and maintain the growth of carbon nanotubes, and
- (3) a carbon-bearing precursor on the catalyst layer;
- and
- growing nanotubes inside of a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor at conditions that promote the growth of substantially aligned carbon nanotubes on the moving substrate include the deposition of carbon bearing precursor at a flow rate per unit substrate surface ranging from 10 ml/(cm2 min) to 400 ml/(cm2 min), wherein said catalyst support is treated prior to depositing said catalyst thereon.
A method for producing substantially aligned carbon nanotubes, said method comprising:
- depositing onto a continuously moving substrate,
- (1) a catalyst support,
- (2) a catalyst on the catalyst support to form a catalyst layer and to initiate and maintain the growth of carbon nanotubes, wherein the catalyst comprises a particle having diameter ranging from 0.7 nm to 50 nm, and
- (3) a carbon-bearing precursor on the catalyst layer;
- and
- growing nanotubes inside of a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor at conditions that promote the growth of substantially aligned carbon nanotubes on the moving substrate, wherein said catalyst support is treated prior to depositing said catalyst thereon.
A method for producing substantially aligned carbon nanotubes, said method comprising:
- depositing onto a continuously moving substrate, wherein the moving substrate is moving at a speed sufficient to grow said carbon nanotubes to a length ranging from 100 um to 20 cm,
- (1) a catalyst support,
- (2) a catalyst on the catalyst support to form a catalyst layer and to initiate and maintain the growth of carbon nanotubes, and
- (3) a carbon-bearing precursor on the catalyst layer;
- and
- growing nanotubes inside of a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor at conditions that promote the growth of substantially aligned carbon nanotubes on the moving substrate, wherein said catalyst support is treated prior to depositing said catalyst thereon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.