Plasma-generated synthesis of aligned carbon nanotubes
The overall objective of the CARDECOM project partners was to develop carbon nanotubes for use in cathode ray tube technology, catalysis and composite material production. To this end, a large area, low temperature reactor was developed. The nanotube reactor used a rescaled inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source. Using this ICP reactor, nanotube specifications including thickness uniformity and deposition rates were as theoretically predicted. The plasma conditions necessary for the production of aligned nanotubes also correlated well with those obtained experimentally. The large area nanotube deposition system is not yet at a development level where it can be marketed as a commercial product. Further work is necessary to achieve this goal. However, significant advances with respect to both equipment and process scale have been made in the context of this project. The contact organisation CCR currently has patents pending on its ICP source technology and, with partners of the CARDECOM project, will evaluate the possibility of submitting patents for the associated processes. The nanotube reactor developed for the CARDECOM project can be used as a demonstration tool for the deposition of carbon nanotubes and nanofibres. These demonstration facilities will enable the development of the full commercial value of this rapidly expanding technology.
