title: Growth of carbon nanofibers on nanoscale catalyst strips fabricated with a focused ion beam.
abstract: We studied the growth mode of vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (CNFs) on Ni catalyst strips fabricated using a focused ion beam (FIB). We found that the CNF growth on Ni catalysts was strongly affected by the geometry of the microfabricated Ni catalyst strips. Selective growth of vertically aligned CNFs requires ion milling from the outside edge of the sample so that the milled materials are effectively evacuated. The CNF diameter and density on the strip depends on its width. Possible mechanisms to control CNF growth using microfabricated catalysts are analyzed with a liquid model using surface free energies.
authors.affiliation: Catalyst Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0023, Japan.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ominami
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kiyotaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asakura
authors.forename: Cary Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yang