High-resolution transmission electron microscopy study of a cross-linked fullerene-related multilayer graphitic material

Abstract

A disordered material consisting of graphitic nanoparticles bound together by sharing of their outer graphitic sheets is investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Detailed image analysis, including the effect of tilting the specimen, showed that the nanoparticles were often joined together via covalent and van der Waals cross-links, which explained the observed absence of dangling edges. From these observations a model whereby the nanoparticles are all interconnected via cross-links is proposed. A comparison between this material and aggregates of closed single shells found in the same sample as well as with other observations of carbon arc deposits led to an overview of a surprising variety of graphitic morphologies. Suggestions about the possible formation mechanisms for the cross-linked network as well as some similarities with glassy carbon are also discussed.