NER: Carbon Nanotube - Nanocrystalline Diamond Composite

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract Carbons with sp2 and sp3 bonding exhibit entirely different envelope of properties. Here, we propose to fabricate and test (for mechanical properties) carbon nanocomposites by combining the two bonding. Recent advances in chemical vapor deposition of nanotubes and nanocrystalline diamond present a possible synergistic approach to synthesizing dense nanocomposite material with aligned and uniformly spaced nanotubes. CVD will be used to synthesize nanotubes oriented vertically to patterned substrates and by controlling the chemistry of plasma nanocrystalline diamond will be deposited on these. In addition, modeling of carbon nanotube-diamond hybrid microstructures will be done to understand mechanical properties and interfacial behavior.