Journal
DIAMOND AND RELATED MATERIALS
Volume 19, Issue 11, Pages 1405-1410Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA
DOI: 10.1016/j.diamond.2010.08.007
Keywords
Carbon nanotube forests; High-aspect-ratio microstructures; Free-form micromachining; Micro-electro-discharge machining; Chemical vapor deposition; Micro-electro-mechanical systems
Categories
Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Canada Foundation for Innovation
- British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund
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This paper reports post-growth processing of vertically aligned carbon nanotube forests for the formation of high-aspect-ratio, three-dimensional microstructures in the material. High-frequency pulses of electrical discharge are generated to locally machine the nanotubes in order to create target shapes in a forest. Machining is performed in both dielectric oil and air. The optimal processing is demonstrated in air with a pulse voltage and peak current of 30 V and 60 mA, respectively, providing a discharge gap of -10 mu m. The minimized discharge energy and gap are shown to achieve an aspect ratio of 20 with the smallest feature of 5 mu m in forests. Multilayer, three-dimensional geometries with vertical and angled surfaces are successfully obtained without disordering the vertical orientation of the nanotubes. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are used for the surface analysis of the micromachined forests, revealing the dependence of their surface characteristics on the discharge conditions. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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