Synthesis of carbon nanotubes on carbon-based structures through the use of nanoparticles, pyrolysis, and chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

The survival of living beings, including humanity, depends on a continuous supply of clean water. However, due to the development of industry, agriculture, and population growth, an increasing number of wastewaters is discarded, and the negative effects of such actions are clear. The first step in solving this situation is the collection and monitoring of pollutants in water bodies to subsequently facilitate their treatment. Nonetheless, traditional sensing techniques are typically laboratory-based, leading to a potential decrease in analysis quality. This work is divided in two main components: a review of recent developments in the micro- and nano- scale electrochemical devices for pollutant detection in wastewater, and the development of a glassy carbon/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) microstructure from SU-8 and iron oxide nanoparticles. The diameter of the produced carbon posts remains constant, at 20 μm, throughout the process, and the produced CNTs of varying lengths have diameters ranging from 500 to 600 nm. The fabrication of these low-cost microstructures requires several steps including photolithography, pyrolysis, and chemical vapor deposition. The addition of CNTs to the carbon-based structure visually increased its surface area and has the potential of enhancing its electrochemical properties.