Abstract
In this study, the vertical floating catalyst method was adopted to synthesize single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and to investigate the growth mechanism of the SWCNTs film. During the synthesis process, formation of the aerosol was in-situ observed. Furthermore, based on the experiment results, it was verified that the aerosol was synthesized due to the pyrolysis of ferrocene. It was concluded that ferrocene was decomposed at high temperature region of the furnace to form iron clusters due to collision in the floating gas. Besides, decomposition of hydrocarbon rings of ferrocene also contribute carbon source for CNT growth. Moreover, we used the digital camera with focal tunable to observe the locations of aerosol generation and SWCNTs film formation. Base on the furnace temperature distribution measured by thermocouple, the temperatures for aerosol and SWCNTs film formation were proposed. Furthermore, a model for SWCNT growth in the floating catalyst method was suggested.