Formation mechanisms of carbon nanotubes formed in the mechano-thermal process
The mechano-thermal process or ball milling and annealing method was first developed at ANU in 1998. Compared with other synthesis methods, the ball milling and annealing method has the advantages of large production quantities, low production costs, and a fully controlled process. The method has produced large-quantity and high-density BN nanotubes, leading to the first commercial BN nanotubes in the world. The method has been adapted by many world leading laboratories including NASA Glenn Research Centre, and NIMS (Japan). It has also been included in textbooks (‘Nanotechnology’ 2002 bestseller CRC, ‘Nanoelectronics and Information Technology’ ed. Rainer Waser, Wiley-VCH, 2003) and major reviews in Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology. The following research has investigated the special formation mechanisms of carbon nanotubes and a significant improvement in the understanding of nucleation and growth has been achieved. In 2007, we tried to synthesise different one-dimensional nanomaterials using the same method. We have successfully produced ZnO nanowires, BN nanowires and VN nanorods, which indicates a promising new application of this process.
