TY - JOUR
T1 - Influence of thin film nickel pretreatment on catalytic thermal chemical vapor deposition of carbon nanofibers
AU - Tiggelaar, Roald M.
AU - Thakur, D.B.
AU - Nair, H.
AU - Lefferts, Leonardus
AU - Seshan, Kulathuiyer
AU - Gardeniers, Johannes G.E.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Nickel and other metal nanoparticles are known to be active as catalysts in the synthesis of carbon nanofibers. In this paper we investigate how dewetting and break-up of nickel thin films depends on film thickness, film–substrate interaction and pretreatment conditions. This is evaluated for films evaporated on oxidized silicon and fused silica substrates with or without tantalum coating, which were subsequently exposed to different pretreatment atmospheres (vacuum, nitrogen, air and hydrogen; 1 h, 650 °C). Atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis were used to characterize the films. Pretreated Ni films were subjected to a thermal catalytic chemical vapor deposition procedure with brief ethylene exposures (0.5–3 min, 635 °C). It was found that only on the spherical nanoparticles originating from a hydrogen pretreatment of a Ni film with Ta adhesion layer, homogeneously distributed, randomly-oriented, well-attached, and semi-crystalline carbon nanofibers be synthesized
AB - Nickel and other metal nanoparticles are known to be active as catalysts in the synthesis of carbon nanofibers. In this paper we investigate how dewetting and break-up of nickel thin films depends on film thickness, film–substrate interaction and pretreatment conditions. This is evaluated for films evaporated on oxidized silicon and fused silica substrates with or without tantalum coating, which were subsequently exposed to different pretreatment atmospheres (vacuum, nitrogen, air and hydrogen; 1 h, 650 °C). Atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis were used to characterize the films. Pretreated Ni films were subjected to a thermal catalytic chemical vapor deposition procedure with brief ethylene exposures (0.5–3 min, 635 °C). It was found that only on the spherical nanoparticles originating from a hydrogen pretreatment of a Ni film with Ta adhesion layer, homogeneously distributed, randomly-oriented, well-attached, and semi-crystalline carbon nanofibers be synthesized
KW - IR-85514
KW - METIS-295349
U2 - 10.1016/j.tsf.2013.02.128
DO - 10.1016/j.tsf.2013.02.128
M3 - Article
SN - 0040-6090
VL - 534
SP - 341
EP - 347
JO - Thin solid films
JF - Thin solid films
ER -