Structural studies on carbon nanotube fibres by synchrotron radiation microdiffraction and microfluorescence

This study reports on the characterization of a carbon nanotube fibre using synchrotron radiation microbeam small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering in combination with microfluorescence. The fibre, spun directly from a chemical vapour deposition reaction zone, is imaged in terms of microstructural heterogeneities. The results reveal a fibre consisting of highly oriented nanotube bundles and unoriented carbonaceous material. Within the oriented component there is a variable orientation distribution and evidence of differences in nanotube packing. Single catalyst crystallites can be located within the fibre from their wide-angle X-ray scattering signal, and the particulate distribution imaged using X-ray microfluorescence. Whilst this study only constitutes a preliminary analysis, it demonstrates the application of existing fibre characterization methods to new materials. It also highlights the potential of synchrotron radiation micro- and nanobeam small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering and microfluorescence for the study of fibres of a few µm diameter.