The synthesis of a copper/multi-walled carbon nanotube hybrid nanowire in a microfluidic reactor.

Metallic nanowires are promising as components in nanoscale systems including nanoelectronics. However, the application of nanowires made of a single material is limited by the properties of the material used. We report here an effort to fabricate a hybrid copper-coated carbon nanotube (CNT)-Cu/CNT nanowire, using a microfluidic reactor. The fabrication of copper/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrid nanowires was realized by an electroless copper deposition technique in which MWCNT templates and an electrolyte were introduced separately into the microfluidic reactor. The morphology and structure of the Cu/MWCNT hybrid nanowire were studied by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), as well as XRD. Results reveal that the fabricated Cu/MWCNT hybrid nanowires are continuously covered by crystallized copper with a preferred crystal orientation along the (111) planes in the radial direction of the MWCNTs. These structural properties are attributed to the unique reaction environment including laminar flow and diffusion-controlled reaction.