Synthesis of isolated carbon nanowalls via high-voltage nanosecond pulses in conjunction with CH4/H2 plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Carbon nanowalls (CNWs) are vertically standing, interconnecting flake- or wall-like collections of graphene sheets. In the present work, this material was synthesized by applying precisely controlled high-voltage nanosecond pulses to a substrate using an inductor energy storage circuit in a radical-injection plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system, employing a CH4/H2 plasma. The resulting interconnected networks had a low density of CNWs with large average wall-to-wall distances. During the application of short-period pulses, the entire substrate surface was uniformly activated, thus enhancing the adsorption of carbon precursors and preventing CNW nucleation. As a result, an amorphous carbon film covered the surface of the substrate and a low CNW density was obtained with average wall-to-wall distances greater than 700 nm. On the basis of these results, the growth mechanism of CNWs was modeled.