title: 4-Nitrobenzylamine partially intercalated into graphite powder and multiwalled carbon nanotubes: characterization using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and in situ atomic force microscopy.
abstract: We report the characterization of partial intercalation of 4-nitrobenzylamine (4-NBA) into edge-plane or edge-plane-like defect sites on the surface of both graphite powder and "bamboo-like" multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). By comparing the XPS spectra of 4-NBA derivatized graphite powder and MWCNTs with that of graphite powder treated with benzylamine in a similar fashion, we conclude that benzylamine itself does not undergo partial intercalation. Using in situ atomic force microscopy, we are able to observe the partial intercalation of 4-NBA into an edge-plane-like "step" defect on the surface of a highly ordered pyrolytic graphite crystal in real time. Together these observations provide further evidence for the partial intercalation of 4-NBA and lead us to propose a new hypothesis to explain this phenomenon.
authors: Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK.
authors: Gregory G
authors: GG
authors: Wildgoose
authors: Michael E
authors: ME
authors: Hyde
authors: Nathan S
authors: NS
authors: Lawrence
authors: Henry C
authors: HC
authors: Leventis
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Jiang
authors: Timothy G J
authors: TG
authors: Jones
authors: Richard G
authors: RG
authors: Compton