Synthesis of carbon nanotubes by laser-assisted alcohol chemical vapor deposition

A laser-assisted alcohol chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process was carried out on a quartz substrate without a thick absorption layer, as a result of which, the substrate retained its transparency. The thickness of the carbon nanotube (CNT) film grown with 120 s of laser irradiation was 16.6 μm, which was three orders of magnitude thicker than the CNT film grown without laser irradiation. The area of growth enhancement was nearly the same size as the laser spot, which implies that this method can be used for position-controlled CNT growth. In addition, the laser-assisted method can be used to decrease the process temperature. Raman spectra also showed the enhancement of CNT growth from the higher signal intensity of the G and D bands from the laser-irradiated sample.