title: Y-junction carbon nanocoils: synthesis by chemical vapor deposition and formation mechanism.
abstract: Y-junction carbon nanocoils (Y-CNCs) were synthesized by thermal chemical vapor deposition using Ni catalyst prepared by spray-coating method. According to the emerging morphologies of Y-CNCs, several growth models were advanced to elucidate their formation mechanisms. Regarding the Y-CNCs without metal catalyst in the Y-junctions, fusing of contiguous CNCs and a tip-growth mechanism are considered to be responsible for their formation. However, as for the Y-CNCs with catalyst presence in the Y-junctions, the formation can be ascribed to nanoscale soldering/welding and bottom-growth mechanism. It is found that increasing spray-coating time for catalyst preparation generates agglomerated larger nanoparticles strongly adhering to the substrate, resulting in bottom-growth of CNCs and appearance of the metal catalyst in the Y-junctions. In the contrary case, CNCs catalyzed by isolated smaller nanoparticles develop Y-junctions with an absence of metal catalyst by virtue of weaker adhesion of catalyst with the substrate and tip-growth of CNCs.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Er-Xiong
authors.initials: EX
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Zhang
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Yi
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Ze-Chen
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Jia
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Jie
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Xiong
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Jianli
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
authors.forename: Lujun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan