Direct deposition of single-walled carbon nanotube thin films via electrostatic spray assisted chemical vapor deposition

In this work, electrostatic spray assisted chemical vapor deposition is used to directly deposit single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) thin films on a substrate. The catalyst solution was finely dispersed by a strong electrical field and injected into the heated reaction zone (950-1100 degrees C) during the growth. It was found that under optimized growth conditions, the deposited material consists of SWNTs while only small amounts of impurities are observed. The growth at different temperatures results in nanotubes of different length and morphology. The location at which the SWNTs deposit at the downstream end of the growth chamber is found to be affected by the nanotube length and the growth temperature, which can be understood by considering different forces acting on the floating aerosol particles inside the furnace. These results suggest a potential for in situ separation of the SWNTs by applying different forces to the floating SWNTs.