Abstract Submitted to the    NANOTUBE'04 Conference:

Results from the parametric study of the double laser oven process indicated possible improvements with flow conditions and laser characteristics (ref. 1). Higher flow rates, lower operating pressures coupled with changes in flow tube material are found to improve the nanotube yields. The collected nanotube material is analyzed using a combination of characterization techniques including SEM, TEM, TGA, Raman and UV-VIS-NIR to estimate the purity of the samples. In-situ diagnostics of the laser oven process is now extended to include the surface temperature of the target material. Spectral emission from the target surface is compared with black body type emission to estimate the temperature. The surface temperature seemed to correlate well with the ablation rate as well as the quality of the SWCNTs. Recent changes in improving the production rate by rastering the target and using cw laser will be presented.

Ref: 1) Sivaram Arepalli, William A. Holmes, Pavel Nikolaev, Victor G. Hadjiev and Carl D. Scott, "A parametric study of single-wall carbon nanotube growth by laser ablation", To be published in Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (2004).