Synthesis of the Carbon Nano/micro Coils Applicable to the Catalyst Support to Hold the Tiny Catalyst Grain

Abstract

Carbon coils could be synthesized using C 2 H 2 /H 2 as source gases and SF 6 as an incorporated additive gas under thermal chemical vapor deposition system. The Ni layer on the SiO 2 substrate was used as a catalyst for the formation of the carbon coils. The characteristics (formation densities, morphologies, and geometries) of the as-grown carbon coils on the substrate with or without the H 2 plasma pretreatment process were investigated. By the relatively short time (1 minute) H 2 plasma pretreatment on the Ni catalyst layered-substrate prior to the carbon coils synthesis reaction, the dominant formation of the carbon microcoils on the substrate could be achieved. After the relatively long time (30 minutes) H 2 plasma pretreatment process, on the other hand, we could obtain the noble-shaped geometrical nanostructures, namely the formation of the numerous carbon nanocoils along the growth of the carbon microcoils. This noble-shaped geometrical nanostructure seemed to play a promising role as the good catalyst support for holding the very tiny Ni catalyst grains.