The Texture of Catalytically Grown Coil-Shaped Carbon Nanotubules

Abstract

The growth of micron-size carbon fibres from thermal decomposition of hydrocarbons catalyzed by a metal has been widely studied. Coil-shaped fibres often grow among straight or twisted filaments. Their internal structure has not been studied in detail as yet. In the present work, the thermal cracking of acetylene on Co nanoparticles dispersed on porous silica has produced relatively well graphitized hollow nanotubules, including straight filaments and regular helices. The small diameter of the coiled tubules and the absence of an amorphous coating allowed a determination of their texture by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The coiled tubules consist of regularly polygonized, coaxial graphene tubes whose angular bends are aligned. The bends are probably caused by the occurrence along the helix of pairs of pentagon-heptagon carbon rings in the hexagonal network. Such a structure was recently predicted to be a thermodynamically stable topology for helical, single-sheet carbon tubes. A molecular model, consistent with theoretical predictions on how to connect cylindrical tubule segments, is provided.