Growth of decorated carbon nano-tubes

Decomposition of methane in a nitrogen atmosphere using bias-enhanced hot filament chemical vapour deposition results in the growth of nitrogenated carbon tubes. Different shapes were formed ranging from spherical aggregates to twisted nano-tubes. All these structures were grown direct onto pure Si wafer. Glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy reveals the presence of tungsten carbide impurities at the interface. Graphitic sheets growing perpendicular to the tube axis typically cover the surface of each coiled tube. The observed morphology resembles a feather boa. From this an enhanced charge transfer in a composite is expected making the material interesting for high strength, lightweight applications.