The effect of titanium nitride (TiN) thickness as the support layer for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) growth was investigated by depositing three different thicknesses: 20 nm, 50 nm and 100 nm. This TiN support layer was deposited on SiO2 pads before depositing nickel (Ni) as the catalyst material. The Ni distribution on different TiN thicknesses was studied under hydrogen environment at 600°C. Then, the samples were further annealed at 600°C in acetylene and hydrogen environment for CNTs growth. The results show that, the optimum TiN thickness was obtained for 50 nm attributed by the lowest D to G ratio (0.8).

The effects of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) on the characteristics and internal structure of synthetic aggregate made from ground granulated blast furnace slag are investigated in this study (GGBS). Due to its high pozzolanic activity, GGBS was shown to be superior to other SCM materials, enhancing both the strength and durability of synthetic aggregate. Because sintering uses a lot of energy and generates a lot of pollutants, using a cold-bonded approach to make low density lightweight aggregates is particularly significant from an economic and environmental standpoint. Thus, the utilisation of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) as a substitute material in the production of green artificial lightweight aggregate (GLA) using the cold bonding method was discussed in this work. Admixtures of ADVA Cast 203 and Hydrogen Peroxide were utilised to improve the quality of GLA at various molar ratios. The freshly extracted GLA was then evaluated for specific gravity, water absorption, aggregate impact, and aggregate crushing in order to determine the optimal proportion blend. As a result, the overall findings offer great application potential in the development of concrete (GCLA). It has been determined that aggregates with a toughness of 14.6% and a hardness of 15.9% are robust. The compressive strength test found that the GCLA has a high strength lightweight concrete of 37.19 MPa and a density of 1845.74 kg/m3. The porous features developed inside the internal structure of GLA have led to GCLA’s less weight compared to conventional concrete.