Surface topography of carbon nanotubes forming reinforcing phase in composite materials
Patrycja Zygoń, Monika Gwoździk, Jerzy Peszke, Zygmunt Nitkiewicz
Quarterly No. 4, 2012 pages 262-265
DOI:
keywords: carbon nanotubes, composite material, method CVD
abstract Carbon nanotubes are one of the strongest materials of unique mechanical, optical, electrical and electronic properties. Because of that they are mainly used as semiconductor materials constituting the reinforcing phase in composite materials. Most frequently nanotubes are obtained using the following methods: catalytic pyrolysis (CVD), electric arc method or by catalytic laser synthesis. The paper presents the results of studies on the topography of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) obtained by the CVD method, using an atomic forces microscope (AFM). Prior to the studies the nanotubes were cleaned using two methods - one part was cleaned in a mixture of concentrated sulphur and nitric acids, and the other in a mixture of perhydrol and acetic acid. Measurements of the surface topography using the Tapping Mode method were performer on the material prepared in this way, acquiring the data on the height and on the phase imaging.