We report on the synthesis of carbon nanotubes on quasicrystalline alloys.
Aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on the conducting faces of
decagonal quasicrystals were synthesized using floating catalyst chemical vapor
deposition. The alignment of the nanotubes was found perpendicular to the
decagonal faces of the quasicrystals. A comparison between the growth and tube
quality has also been made between tubes grown on various quasicrystalline and
SiO2 substrates. While a significant MWNT growth was observed on decagonal
quasicrystalline substrate, there was no significant growth observed on
icosahedral quasicrystalline substrate. Raman spectroscopy and high resolution
transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results show high crystalline nature
of the nanotubes. Presence of continuous iron filled core in the nanotubes
grown on these substrates was also observed, which is typically not seen in
MWNTs grown using similar process on silicon and/or silicon dioxide substrates.
The study has important implications for understanding the growth mechanism of
MWNTs on conducting substrates which have potential applications as heat sinks