W.Y. Zhou

Tensile tests of ropes of very long aligned multiwall carbon nanotubes

We have directly measured the Young’s modulus and tensile strength of multiwall carbon nanotubes by pulling very long (∼2 mm) aligned nanotube ropes with a specially designed stress-strain puller. This puller can apply an axial force to the rope and simultaneously measure the corresponding rope elongation and the change in rope resistance. The average Young’s modulus and tensile strength obtained were 0.45±0.23 TPa and 1.72±0.64 GPa, respectively, which are lower than those calculated and measured previously. The factors that affect the mechanical strengths of nanotubes are discussed.

Direct growth of aligned open carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition

Abstract Open carbon nanotubes were directly obtained at a very high yield by pyrolysis of acetylene over iron/silica substrates. Scanning electron microscope images show that the nanotubes grow outwards perpendicularly and separately from the surface of the substrate and form an aligned nanotube array. The bottom ends of the tubes can be easily stripped off from the substrate and are found to be opened while the top ends are closed, as verified by transmission electron microscope. The tip growth of tubes might be responsible for the formation of open carbon nanotubes.

Synthesis of α–SiO 2 nanowires using Au nanoparticle catalysts on a silicon substrate

The magnetic properties and the domain structure of anisotropic melt-spun SmCo6.5Zr0.5 alloys with C addition was investigated by means of x-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic measurement, and magnetic force microscopy. The XRD analyses showed that the addition of a few percent of C led to a significant increase in the coercivity and simultaneously affected the characterization of crystalline texture of the ribbons. The easy magnetization c axis changed from parallel to the ribbon plane for SmCo6.5Zr0.5 ribbons to normal to the ribbon plane for SmCo6.5Zr0.5C0.25-0.75 ribbons. An optimal coercivity of 0.92 T was obtained for the SmCo6.5Zr0.5C0.5 ribbon spun at 5 m/s. The corresponding remanence measured normal or parallel to the ribbon plane was 7.1 kGs or 3.1 kGs, respectively. The domain structure was studied by magnetic force microscopey, A strip-shaped domain was observed on the surface of the SmCo6.5Zr0.5 ribbons and the walls lay straight and parallel. For C-doped ribbons, the domain walls formed a maze domain pattern of grains with c axis normal to the ribbon plane, Scanning electron micrographs showed that a dendrite structure was present in the SmCoZr ribbon surface, and C addition caused the above-mentioned dendrite to diminish.

Large-scale synthesis of β-SiC nanorods in the arc-discharge

Single crystals of Tb2Fe17 have been grown by Czochralski method cold crucible system. Good-quality crystals can be obtained by using the relative low growth rate and stoichiometrical composition. The single crystalline sample shows a pure hexagonal Th2Ni17 structure with lattice parameters of n=0.8368 +/- 0.0005nm, c=0.8331 +/- 0.0003nm. No detectable traces of Th2Zn17 phase can be found. A new phase diagram has been given based on the DTA results. Tb2Fe17 compound shows a congruent melting point of 1316 degreesC with 89.5 at % Fe and an eutectic point at 1301 degreesC With 92.5 at % Fe, which is different From the peritectic reacting published in some previous reports (see Dariel et al., J. Lesscommon Met. 35 (1976) 91). The magnetic measurements revealed a small difference in the magneto-crystalline anisotropy which could be measured in good crystal samples. Some growth conditions, such as high rate and non-stoichiometrical starting material, caused second-phase defects. Those defects are difficult to be observed by metallography. but can be indirectly found by measuring the magnetization behavior, type II first-order magnetization process (FOMP). Our results indicate that some defects might affect the rotation path of the magnetic victors in the FOMP

A simple route to scalable fabrication of perfectly ordered ZnO nanorod arrays

ZnO nanorod arrays with perfect order and uniformity were prepared using a simple, low-cost, commonly available and scalable nanosphere lithography for patterning gold catalyst particles and a successive bottom-up growth technique in a tube furnace chemical vapor deposition system. Each rod in the arrays had perfect surface facets, sharp edges and uniform size. For all of the rods, their sides were oriented the same. This bottom-up assembly method may accelerate the use of ZnO nanorods in real device applications.

Growth of amorphous silicon nanowires

We have grown vertically aligned amorphous silicon nanowires on Au-Pd co-deposition silicon oxide substrate by thermal chemical vapor deposition using SiH4 gas at 800 degreesC. The diameter of silicon nanowires is in the range 10-50 nm and the length is about 1 mum. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations show that the grown silicon nanowires are of an amorphous state and some of nanowires appear to bifurcate in the vertically growth process. The effect of Hz gas etchings on the catalytic size and the effect of catalytic size on the formation of the vertical growth nanowires are discussed

Growth of ZnO hexagonal nanoprisms

We show the success of large-scale growth of ZnO hexagonal nanoprisms on silicon substrates by a two-staged mechanism. In the first stage, the catalyst nanoparticles assisted the nucleation via the vapour–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism to form polyhedral nanoparticles. In the second stage, the nanoprism was grown up by anisotropic homoepitaxy, layer by layer, on the c-face of the polyhedral nanoparticle. The surface of the nanoprism consists of the ultraflat {0001} and planes. The nanoprism is 200–500 nm in width and controllably sized in length, of high crystalline quality and excellent optical quality. This nanoprism would be an interesting building block for highly efficient nanolasers.

Catalytic synthesis of straight silicon nanowires over Fe containing silica gel substrates by chemical vapor deposition

We report a new method to synthesize very straight silicon nanowires using a porous iron/SiO2 gel as a template by thermal chemical vapor deposition at a temperature of about 500 degreesC. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy were used to characterize the samples. The results show that a large amount of straight Si nanowires with diameters of about 30 nm and lengths of about 1 mum was obtained. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy observation shows that microtwin defects lie in the straight silicon nanowires. Raman scattering from the nanowires shows a larger line width (about 15 cm(-1)) and a down-shifted (about 9 cm(-1)) peak as compared to that of bulk crystalline silicon

Growth of carbon nanofibers array under magnetic force by chemical vapor deposition

In this Letter, we report the growth of carbon nanofibers arrays by chemical vapor deposition in the presence of magnetic force. We find that when a magnet is applied carbon nanofibers arrays are grown and when the magnet is absent carbon nanotubes arrays are grown at the same experimental conditions. The nanofibers are worse in alignment and less in graphitization than those of the nanotubes grown at the same conditions. What is interesting is that two or three nanofibers can be connected together through a catalyst nanoparticle. These connections might be useful, especially in the fabrication of nanoelectronic devices.

H2-assisted control growth of Si nanowires

Large-scale desired silicon nanowires without amorphous silicon oxide sheath have been synthesized by thermal chemical vapor deposition using SiH4 gas at 650degreesC in a flow mixture of H-2 and N-2, compared with the short and thick Si nanowires with amorphous SiOx coating obtained in N-2. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) analysis, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) have been employed to characterize the Si nanowires. The effects of H-2 gas on the catalytic particle size and on the formation of Si nanowires are discussed in detail. Photoluminescence (PL) characteristics further demonstrate the large differences between the H-2-assisted grown Si nanowires and the Si nanowires grown in N-2