Formation of carbon nanotubes in silicon-coated alumina nanoreactor

The production of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in silicon-coated alumina nanoreactor by chemical vapor deposition was discussed. In the silicon-coated alumina method, the silicon coating on the channel wall contributed the formation of CNTs by eliminating the catalytic behavior of the alumina. The nanoreactor was also used for the production of silicon encapsulated metal, metal compounds, and semiconductor nanowires. The results from TEM show that the metal nanoparticles are located at the bases of the nanotubes, which indicate that base-growth mechanism is responsible for the CNTs growth in the silicon-coated alumina channel.Department of Mechanical Engineerin