Effect of interaction between AC electric field and phonon oscillation of metal cluster on tip-growth of carbon nanotube

• Paper reports interaction between AC electric field and cluster at tip end of CNT.
• There is an AC electric field which optimizes tip-growth of CNT.
• Increasing electric field leads to higher optimum temperature.
• The optimum field for various catalysts is different.

The paper reports effect of interaction between AC electric field and metal cluster sitting at tip end of the carbon nanotube (CNT) on CNT tip-growth in CVD theoretically. For this purpose, a theoretical model based on phonon oscillations of the metal catalyst and influence of AC electric field on these oscillations is presented. Results show that there is an optimum AC electric field which optimizes growth of ultra-long CNTs. Then it is demonstrated that, in comparison with CNTs in the absence of field, CNTs under optimum electric field grow more. In addition, relation between optimum temperature and amplitude of AC electric field is investigated and it is shown that increasing electric field leads to higher optimum temperature. Finally, Investigation of effect of catalyst type on optimum electric field demonstrates the optimum field for various catalysts is different due to their different characteristics including van der Waals interaction with carbon, atomic mass and number of free charge carriers per each atom. All results are discussed and interpreted.

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