Growth and microstructural investigation of multiwall carbon nanotubes fabricated using electrodeposited nickel nanodeposits and chemical vapor deposition method

•Nickel nanodeposits were electrodeposited on n-Si(1 1 1):H substrate with a morphology of polygonal.•The diffusion of carbon atoms in nano-particles Ni was acquired through decomposition of C2H2 at 700 °C.•We were able to grow MWCNTs on nickel nanodeposits by CVD method.

This study proposes a common approach for growing multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on nickel nanodeposits. MWCNT growth was performed in two separate stages. In the first stage, nickel nanodeposits were electrodeposited on n-Si(1 1 1):H substrate in the presence of sulfuric acid. Based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations, the nickel deposits had a fairly polygonal morphology and were distributed on the prepared n-Si(1 1 1):H substrate. In the second stage, acetylene gas was decomposed on the surfaces of the nickel nanodeposits using chemical vapor deposition method at 700 °C. When carbon is saturated in a catalyst, it acts as a primary nucleating element for MWCNT growth. The structure of the MWCNTs was also investigated using scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Results showed that the synthesized MWCNTs had a small wall thickness and were formed under the experimental conditions applied to the system.