A Facile Solution Based Nickel Deposition Method for the Formation of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes

A novel chemical solution deposition approach is reported for the deposition of nickel catalyst, which is a required step for the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). In this work, after catalyst coating, vertically aligned CNTs have been grown on the silicon oxide and silicon surfaces. The results were studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman and X-ray diffraction. This technique has a high selectivity over the size of the catalyst nanoparticles, which results in the simple controlling of the average diameter of grown CNTs in the range of 30 to 150 nm. In addition, this approach leads to a more conformal coating on the surface of the sample in comparison with traditional vacuum-based deposition techniques, enabling the growth of CNTs on highly rough surfaces. The proposed catalyst deposition technique is a fast, inexpensive and simple Nickel catalyst deposition method that can significantly facilitate the growth process of CNTs