Patent ID: 8333948

Claim:
A method of producing a nanocomposite for a fuel cell, the method comprising: depositing a carbon nanotube-nucleating catalyst layer on a porous backing substrate; heating the catalyst layer to 500-900° C. to break the catalyst layer into isolated nano-islands; growing vertically aligned, mutually separated carbon nanotubes using a plasma chemical vapor deposition process using a carbonaceous source gas and application of a predetermined electric field in the range of 200-800 volts, wherein an angle of inclination of the carbon nanotubes with respect to an orientation axis is 30° or less; adhering new carbon nanotube-nucleating catalyst onto sidewall surfaces of the vertically aligned, mutually separated primary carbon nanotubes by the method selected from the group consisting of sputtering and evaporation, at an oblique angle; and applying a predetermined electric field in the range of 200-800 volts to the carbon nanotube-nucleating catalyst covered primary carbon nanotubes, to grow aligned, mutually separated secondary carbon nanotubes on the primary carbon nanotubes in a direction in which the electric field is applied, wherein the secondary carbon nanotubes are grown perpendicularly to the primary carbon nanotubes, or at an angle of inclination with respect to an axis perpendicular to the primary carbon nanotubes of 80° or less.