A novel hybrid carbon material.
Both fullerenes and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) exhibit many advantageous properties. Despite the similarities between these two forms of carbon, there have been very few attempts to physically merge them. We have discovered a novel hybrid material that combines fullerenes and SWNTs into a single structure in which the fullerenes are covalently bonded to the outer surface of the SWNTs. These fullerene-functionalized SWNTs, which we have termed NanoBuds, were selectively synthesized in two different one-step continuous methods, during which fullerenes were formed on iron-catalyst particles together with SWNTs during CO disproportionation. The field-emission characteristics of NanoBuds suggest that they may possess advantageous properties compared with single-walled nanotubes or fullerenes alone, or in their non-bonded configurations.
Nasibulin
Albert G
AG
NanoMaterials Group, Laboratory of Physics and Center for New Materials, Helsinki University of Technology, PO Box 1000, 02044, Espoo, Finland.
Pikhitsa
Peter V
PV
Jiang
Hua
H
Brown
David P
DP
Krasheninnikov
Arkady V
AV
Anisimov
Anton S
AS
Queipo
Paula
P
Moisala
Anna
A
Gonzalez
David
D
Lientschnig
Günther
G
Hassanien
Abdou
A
Shandakov
Sergey D
SD
Lolli
Giulio
G
Resasco
Daniel E
DE
Choi
Mansoo
M
Tománek
David
D
Kauppinen
Esko I
EI
D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties
D037741:Fullerenes; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon