Patterned growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays using colloidal lithography and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Patterned carbon nanotube structures were synthesized on silicon substrates by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and solution dipping deposition assisted by monolayer colloidal crystals for the first time. Through the regulation of the concentration of the precursor solution and plasma treatment conditions, we have grown carbon nanotube bundles into periodic structures with different growth site and density. The proposed method greatly reduces the fabrication cost and can tune the periodic structure of carbon nanotubes quite flexibly. Furthermore, the synthesis strategy can also be applied to synthesize CNT/Fe3C nanocomposites with excellent magnetic property, indicating a potential application in magnetic devices.