title: In situ observation of carbon-nanopillar tubulization caused by liquidlike iron particles.
abstract: The tubulization process of amorphous carbon nanopillars was observed in situ by transmis-sion electron microscopy. Amorphous carbon nanopillars were transformed into graphitic tubules by annealing at 650-900 degrees C in the presence of iron nanoparticles. A molten catalyst nanoparticle penetrated an amorphous carbon nanopillar, dissolving it, and leaving a graphite track behind. An iron nanoparticle moved with its shape changing like an earthworm. We concluded that the tubulization mechanism is a solid-(quasiliquid)-solid mechanism where the carbon phase transformation is a kind of liquid phase graphitization of amorphous carbon catalyzed by liquefied metal-carbon alloy nanoparticles.
authors.affiliation: Fundamental and Environmental Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation, 34 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba 305-8501, Japan. t-ichihashi@ap.jp.nec.com
authors.forename: Toshinari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ichihashi
authors.forename: Jun-Ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Yukinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ochiai