In situ observation of the initial growth process of carbon nanotubes by time-resolved high resolution transmission electron microscopy |
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Authors: | H Watanabe† Y Hisada† S Mukainakano† & N Tanaka |
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Affiliation: | Department of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan;DENSO CORPORATION, 500-1 Minamiyama, Komenoki-cho, Nisshin, Aichi, 470-0111, Japan |
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Abstract: | We succeeded in plan-view dynamic observation of the initial formation process of carbon nanotubes from β-SiC( 1 1 1 ) surfaces by time-resolved high resolution transmission electron microscopy. At 1360 °C, the flakes of graphite layers of a fibre orientation were formed on the SiC( 1 1 1 ) surfaces. From the graphite layers, carbon nanotubes were formed perpendicular to the ( 1 1 1 ) plane of the SiC. A scanning tunnelling microscopy observation showed that the end of carbon nanotube was closed. These results indicate that the caps of the carbon nanotubes are formed by a lift of a part of the graphene along the 1 1 1 ] direction of the SiC through generation of pentagons and heptagons. Two types of carbon nanotube, single-wall and double-wall, were observed in plan-view images. Different image intensity between an outer ring and an inner ring in double-wall nanotubes suggests that the inner layers of multiwall nanotubes are formed after the outer ones. |
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Keywords: | β-SiC(3C) carbon nanotubes HRTEM in-situ observation time-resolved thermal decomposition |
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