Carbon nanoflakes (CNFLs) are synthesized on silicon substrates deposited with carbon islands in a methane environment using hot filament chemical vapor deposition.

Carbon nanorods and graphene-like nanosheets are catalytically synthesized in a hot filament chemical vapor deposition system with and without plasma enhancement, with gold used as a catalyst. The morphological and structural properties of the carbon nanorods and nanosheets are investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy. It is found that carbon nanorods are formed when a CH 4 + H 2 + N 2 plasma is present while carbon nanosheets are formed in a methane environment without a plasma. The formation of carbon nanorods and carbon nanosheets are analyzed. The results suggest that the formation of carbon nanorods is primarily a precipitation process while the formation of carbon nanosheets is a complex process involving surfacecatalysis, surface diffusion and precipitation influenced by the Gibbs-Thomson effect. The electron field emission properties of the carbon nanorods and graphene-like nanosheets are measured under highvacuum; it is found that the carbon nanosheets have a lower field emission turn-on than the carbon nanorods. These results are important to improve the understanding of formation mechanisms of carbon nanomaterials and contribute to eventual applications of these structures in nanodevices.

Oriented MoSe2nanosheets with varying layers and structures were synthesized on silicon substrates by hot filament chemical vapour deposition in a nitrogen environment using MoO3and Se powders as precursors.