Center for Functional Nanomaterials Seminar

The understanding of the role of transition metal templates in the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of nano-materials, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes and Si/Ge nanowires, remains incomplete, which limits a widespread utilisation of these materials. We investigate nanometrology that allows a monitoring of the catalytic CVD process and the contributing atomistic processes under high temperatures and reactive gas atmospheres, i.e. under typical reactor conditions. I will present environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM), high-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments analysing catalyst dynamics during the CVD process for these nanomaterials [1-7]. Our results aim to establish a framework for detailed growth modelling and an understanding of the materials and chemistry on the nano-scale.

[1] Hofmann et al., Nano Lett. 7, 602 (2007) [2] Hofmann et al., J. Phys. Chem. C 113, 1648 (2009) [3] Mattevi et al., J. Phys. Chem. C 112, 12207 (2008) [4] Moseler et al, ACS Nano 4, 7587 (2010) [5] Hofmann et al, Nature Materials 7, 372 (2008) [6] Gamalski et al, Nano Lett. 10, 2972 (2010) [7] Gamalski et al, J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 4413 (2011)