• Abrupt self-termination of vertically-aligned carbon nanotube growth

    E.R. Meshot, A.J. Hart. Applied Physics Letters 92:113107, 2008. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.2889497] [PDF]   Real-time height measurements demonstrate that growth of millimeter-high carbon nanotube (CNT) forests terminates abruptly after first exhibiting a steady decay in growth rate. Termination is accompanied by a distinct loss of alignment among the CNTs, which is quantified by small-angle x-ray scattering. Previously…

  • Particle exposure levels during CVD growth and subsequent handling of vertically-aligned carbon nanotube films

    D. Bello, A.J. Hart, K. Ahn, M. Hallock, N. Yamamoto, E.J. García, B.L. Wardle, M.J. Ellenbecker.  Carbon 46:974-981, 2008. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2008.03.003] [PDF]   The results of this investigation support a conclusion that no detectable quantity of CNTs, bundles or similar-sized carbonaceous particles are released to the occupational environment during CVD growth of a vertically-aligned CNT forest…

  • Fabrication and multifunctional properties of a hybrid laminate with aligned carbon nanotubes grown in situ

    E.J. García, B.L. Wardle, A.J. Hart, N. Yamamoto.  Composites Science and Technology 68:2034-2041, 2008. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compscitech.2008.02.028] [PDF]   A hybrid composite architecture of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), advanced fibers and a matrix is described, from CNT synthesis and characterization through to standard mechanical and electrical laminate tests. Direct growth of aligned CNTs on the surface of advanced…

  • Long carbon nanotubes grown on the surface of fibers for hybrid composites

    E.J. García, A.J. Hart, B.L. Wardle.  AIAA Journal 46(6):1405-12, 2008. [http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/1.25004] [PDF]   Hybrid composite architectures employing traditional advanced composites and carbon nanotubes offer significant potential mechanical and multifunctional performance benefits. The architecture  investigated here is composed of aligned fibers with carbon nanotubes grown radially on their surface. A novel process for rapidly growing dense,…

  • Conductive carbon nanotube composite microprobes

    O. Yaglioglu, R. Martens, A.J. Hart, A.H. Slocum.  Advanced Materials 20:357-362, 2008. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.200700075] [PDF]   A simple, flexible, and robust way of fabricating fully functional electromechanical carbon nanotube (CNT) microprobes, by transferring as-grown CNT columns onto a conductive substrate using a conductive epoxy (see figure), is shown. The CNT microprobes are approximately 500 times stronger…

  • John Hart on BBC Documentary

    John Hart on BBC Documentary

    November 2007: John Hart is interviewed in the BBC Documentary “Visions of the Future” ???

  • 2D and 3D growth of carbon nanotubes on substrates, from nanometre to millimetre scales

    ,

    A.J. Hart, H.K. Taylor, A.H. Slocum. International J. Nanomanufacturing 1(6):701-709, 2007. [PDF]   This paper presents a suite of techniques for making Carbon Nanotube (CNT) assemblies having hierarchical two- and three-dimensional organisation: conformal films of tangled single-walled CNTs are grown on silicon microstructures, millimetre-thick films and microstructures of aligned Multi-wall CNTs (MWNTs) are grown on…

  • A suspended heated silicon platform for rapid thermal control of surface reactions with application to carbon nanotube synthesis

    L.C. van Laake, A.J. Hart, A.H. Slocum. , Review of Scientific Instruments 78:083901, 2007. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.2760936] [PDF]   Rapid continuous thermal control of chemical reactions such as those for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of nanotubes and nanowires cannot be studied using traditional reactors such as tube furnaces, which have large thermal masses. We present the…

  • Characterizing the morphologies of mechanically-manipulated multi-wall carbon nanotube films by small-angle X-ray scattering

    B.N. Wang, R.D. Bennett, E. Verploegen, A.J. Hart, R.E. Cohen.  J. Physical Chemistry C 111(48):17933-17940, 2007. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp071798c] [PDF]   We used small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to quantitatively characterize the morphological characteristics of pristine and mechanically manipulated multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) films. We determined that CNT diameters measured near the edges of a film were smaller…

  • Fabrication and nanocompression testing of aligned CNT/polymer nanocomposites

    E.J. García, A.J. Hart, B.L. Wardle, A.H. Slocum. Advanced Materials 19:2151-2156, 2007. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.200700237] [PDF]   The reinforcement of fiber–polymer composites with arrays of aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is reported. Nanocomposite features containing vertically aligned CNTs and a commercially available polymer are fabricated and mechanically characterized with a direct nanocompression method using a flat punch mounted…