Synthesis of carbon microtube buckypaper by a gas pressure enhanced chemical vapor deposition method

Large-area carbon microtube (CMT) buckypaper was synthesized by gas pressure enhanced chemical vapor deposition in the absence of metal catalysts. Various characterization studies show that the buckypaper is quite flat and has a uniform thickness of around 80 μm. It is composed of highly entangled high-purity CMTs which have a uniform diameter of about 1 μm, a wall thickness of 18 nm and a length of several centimeters. The sample has an average specific tensile strength of 27.2 MPa g−1 cm3, an electrical conductivity of 1.62 × 105 S m−1 and a BET surface area of 98 m2/g.