| Developments in the field of nanotechnology are causing a revolution in the world of materials science and engineering. Carbon nanomaterial thin films like nanocrystalline diamond films and carbon nanotubes are among the most prominent materials at the forefront of the nanotechnology revolution. Chief methods for synthesizing these materials have involved chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth by catalysis from substrates. So far, these methods of synthesis have presented problems of cost and scalability because they have either employed multi-step, extensive substrate surface preparation procedures or used expensive CVD methods to achieve the desired growth. This research work presents the successful results of achieving the synthesis of nanocrystalline diamond thin films and high quality carbon nanotubes by a method which is both low cost and scalable.; Specifically, this research program has employed the low cost and scalable method of hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) in combination with very simple substrate surface preparation procedures and the CVD variables method of shaping carbon nanostructures to achieve the desired growth of carbon nanomaterial thin films. The CVD variables method, uniquely refined as a carbon nanotube shaping tool in this research work, consists of variation of CVD parameters like precursor gas composition, pressure, and temperature to change nanostructure morphology. The precursor gas mixture used contained variable proportions of the gases methane, hydrogen, and argon. Using this methodology, synthesis of nanocrystalline diamond was achieved on polished silicon substrates at a CVD precursor gas mixture composition in which argon to hydrogen ratio played a decisive role. By the same approach, optimum conditions for growth of carbon nanotubes on Fe-Ni and ferric sulfate coated silicon substrates were determined, leading to the growth of high purity carbon nanotubes of random and vertical orientation. The structures of nanotubes so optimized were studied for their potential as field emitters and were found to contain several attractive features that could be ascribed specifically to the methodology adopted to develop them. Nanotube junctions in the synthesized carbon nanotubes were studied for their applicability in nanoelectronic circuits, resulting in the discovery of intersecting nanotube junctions of potentially great significance for future development of microelectronics. |
