Stack-coating of multishell carbon layers templated with carbon nanotubes. (December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shirasu, Keiichi; Asaoka, Miho; Miyazaki, Takamichi; Yamamoto, Go; Hashida, Toshiyuki
• Is Part Of: Materials today communications. Volume 21(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-12
• Subjects: Carbon nanotubes -- Heat treatment in ethylene -- Epitaxial growth -- Arrhenius plot; Materials science -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2019.100608
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-4928

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Abstract: In a carbon nanotube (CNT), carbon atoms are arranged in regular honeycomb lattice (i.e. graphene), which rolls seamlessly to form walls of the CNT. However, in reality, CNTs have structural defects in the form of structural deficiencies in honeycomb lattice. These defects are introduced in the tube structure during their growth, which leads to reduce their mechanical and other physical properties. Here, we report an alternative use of CNTs as a templating agent for the formation of multi-walled carbon layers with high stacking order and parallelism. These templated nanotube shells are grown epitaxially on the surface of multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) by the decomposition of ethylene at the temperature of 850–1000 °C without a surface-catalyzed process. Tensile tests of individual MWCNTs demonstrate that the templated nanotube shells are inherently connected with the host nanotube surface through intershell crosslinks. By means of the Arrhenius plot, the growth mode of the templated nanotube shells for different temperatures and pressures is also systematically and quantitatively investigated. We show that the uniform nanotube shells are synthesized under the temperature of ≤900 °C and pressure of ≤100 Pa. This processing method opens the door for developing the synthesis of defectless CNTs and eventually CNT-based composites and yarns with high mechanical properties.