Anomalies in the Growth Temperature and Time Dependence of Carbon Nanotube Growth

The synthesis of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on a Ni coated Si substrateis reported. The CNTs grown at 650 °C (see Figure) were found to be uniformly aligned with high tube density. Increasing decomposition temperature resulted in less alignment and lower tube density CNTs. It is concluded that the diameter, alignment, and density of CNTs are closely related to the surface morphology of the Ni thin film substrate.