Self-organized hybrid nanostructures composed of the array of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes and planar graphite layer

The hybrid carbon nanostructures composed of an array of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and a self-organized planar graphite layer (PGL) located on the top of the array (CNT-PGL nanostructures) have been obtained by the CVD method with the volatile catalyst. The fundamental characteristics (morphology, elemental composition and structure) of these nanostructures were characterized by Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy, Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Raman and Auger spectroscopy. It has established that CNTs grow simultaneously both via root-growth mechanism (attached to the substrate) and tip-growth mechanism (attached to the planar layer). This planar layer is a layered - graphitic structure and connected with CNTs through the catalyst nanoparticles. It consists of disordered graphite flakes with the sizes of some tens of nanometers randomly oriented and overlapping with one another. These graphitic flakes have a crystallite of ~5.2 nm in size.