Charged particle-induced synthesis of carbon nanowalls and characterization

Abstract

We demonstrate growth and characterization of carbon nanowall (CNW) films on silicon substrates by the surface-wave microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method. The grown CNWs in the film show orientation anisotropy. A CNW is composed of well-crystallized nanographite. The deposition of CNW films, in particular the film thickness and nanographite domain size, strongly depends on the carbon feedstock concentration, deposition pressure, distance between substrate and plasma, and deposition duration. The deposition rate of CNWs in terms of CNW film thickness is approximately 1 μm min⁻¹. We propose a charged particle-induced growth mechanism of the CNW film, which also follows the thermodynamic nucleation model. Nitrogen gas sorption measurements show that the CNW films have approximately 100 m² g⁻¹ Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area and micro–mesopores.