Rapid synthesis of carbon nanotubes via inductive heating

A rapid yet simple methodology to synthesize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a room temperature environment has been demonstrated using an inductive heating system. Substrates of either heavily doped silicon or nickel-coated, lightly doped silicon have been used to synthesize CNTs using Fe as the catalyst. Aligned carbon nanotubes with growth rates as high as 200μm∕min have been achieved in less than 1min. Transmission electron micrographs illustrated average diameters of 8 and 6.8nm for CNTs grown under average temperatures of 760 and 910°C, respectively. This system allows the synthesis of CNTs that is easy to set up, fast, clean, and inexpensive.