Vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays growth modeling at different temperatures and pressures in reactor

A model for the growth of carbon nanotubes was developed and the calculations for this model were compared with experiment. Experimental growth of carbon nanotubes arrays was carried out by the CVD method in a stream of acetylene, ammonia and argon at temperatures from 550 to 950 °C. A nickel film of 4 nm thickness on the surface of titanium nitride was used as a catalyst. The model takes into account the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons on the surface of the catalyst nanoparticles, the formation of a barrier layer on its surface, which slows down and stops the growth of the nanotube array, the interaction of the substance of the buffer layer with carbon in the catalyst nanoparticle. When developing the model, the mechanisms of individual processes were considered and the temperature dependences of the kinetic coefficients, which describe the growth of nanotubes, were obtained. It is these dependences that show a good agreement between the calculations and the experiment. [Display omitted] •A model for the growth of carbon nanotubes and comparison with experiment•Growth experiments of carbon nanotubes with a nickel film as catalyst•Temperature dependences of kinetic coefficients for the growth of nanotubes•Thermodynamic method applied to nanotube growth modeling•Temperature dependence for carbon nanotube array height