Surface morphology modification of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes by water vapor exposure

Surface modification of vertically-aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) is essential in order to meet specific demands for particular applications such as field emission displays, heat dissipation device and potential sun energy conversion due to their superior electrical and thermal conductivity and strong light absorption. In this study, we observe the effect of exposure to water vapor on a different lengths of the surfaces of VACNT. The study was conducted on three different lengths of the VACNT: short length around $200{\mu}m$, medium-length around $500{\mu}m$, and high length around 1 mm. Water exposure time ranges between 2-10 min and temperature of the water ranges from 60 to 120 oC. The result of water vapor exposure mainly show that increasing the exposure time and water temperature give rise to increase of the speed of change on the surface of the VACNT. Especially, the shorter VACNT change their surface morphology most rapidly.