Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes Produced by APCVD using Camphor

Abstract

A simple chemical vapor deposition technique at atmospheric pressure (APCVD) is adopted to synthesize the aligned arrays of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (AMWCNTs) without using any carrier gas, at 230◦C, 750◦C and 850 ◦C. Camphor (C10H16O) is used as carbon source because this botanical hydrocarbon is chip and abundant which convert the CVD technique to a green method for production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The oxygen atoms in camphor oxidize the amorphous carbons and create hydroxyl functional groups in AMWCNTs. The molecular structure of camphor lead to form hexagonal and pentagonal carbon rings which increase the growth rate and alignment of MWCNTs. In this work, AMWCNTs are grown on silicon substrate, copper, and quartz. The synthesized AMWCNTs are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The SEM results show that the deposited CNTs are formed in vertical aligned arrays and each has a functional OH group which is seen in FTIR spectroscopy results.