研究目的

Investigating the feasibility of fabricating a metallic multi-layered nanofoam using cyclic electroplating, to determine if conformal coatings on CNTs are viable, and how the CNT foam’s mechanical properties change with the addition of a metallic shell.

研究成果

A new fabrication route was used to produce metallic nanostructures and was successfully demonstrated using a triple cyclic electroplating technique. Cu-Ni alloy layers can be deposited in a conformal architecture on CNTs to effectively double the average unit diameter from 30 to 60 nm. After some critical thickness, island growth is evident, and the islands appear to be more Cu rich than the conformal layer. Nanoindentation measurements showed the hardness of the conformally coated foam increased by a factor of 5 and the elastic modulus increased by a factor of 3 over the as-grown CNT foam. However, once island growth initiates no significant increase in mechanical properties was observed.

研究不足

The spatial variation present in the foams leads to large scatter in the extracted properties. The adhesive behavior between the diamond punch and CNTs can lead to adhesive behavior, which may increase the apparent stiffness during unloading.