Taguchi analysis of parameters for small-diameter single wall carbon nanotube growth

Small diameter single wall carbon nanotubes are desirable for various physical and electrical properties of carbon nanotubes. Here, we report the sensitivities of parameters and the optimal conditions for small diameter carbon nanotube growth by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). These results were obtained using the Taguchi method, which is commonly used to find the optimal parameters of various processes. The possible parameter ranges given by the experimental equipment and laboratory conditions, we attempted several times to determine the proper ranges, using photoluminescence (PL) imaging to determine the exact positions of suspended carbon nanotubes on the quartz substrates after synthesis. The diameters of the carbon nanotubes were then determined from the radial breathing modes (RBM) using Raman spectroscopy with a 785nm wavelength laser. Among the 4 major parameters listed above, we concluded that the temperature was the most significant parameter in determining carbon nanotube diameter, hydrogen flow rate was the second most significant, the ethanol and argon gas flow rate was the third, and finally time was the least significant factor.