Role of Temperature on the Morphology and the Chemical Composition of C-based Nanostructures: From Nanocolumns to Nanotubes

In this work we report the growth of C-based nanostructures by means of radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at different temperatures. We found that the deposition temperature has a huge influence on the structure and chemical composition of the C-based materials obtained. In the temperature range 400°C-600°C we obtain nanocolumns made of carbon and nitrogen (CNx), due to the incorporation of the sputtering gas, whilst at a deposition temperature of 700°C the formation of carbon nanotubes (CNT) takes place. The effect of thermal processes on the morphology and the chemical composition of the grown C nanostructures has been investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron microscopy and Raman Spectroscopy