Magnetic properties of nested carbon nanostructures studied by electron spin resonance and magnetic susceptibility measurements

Abstract

Nested carbon nanostructures, e.g., nanotubes and nanoballs, are separated from the coexisting materials of carbon flakes and needle-like fragments by sonication, centrifugalization and low-temperature combustion. Content of nanotubes at the final stage separation is in excess of 85% by weight. The nested carbon nanostructures (≳85 wt % tubules) are studied by electron spin resonance (ESR) and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The temperature dependence of the conduction-ESR intensity for the nested carbons is similar to that for graphite. On the other hand, the g value is almost constant (g=2.0096±0.0004 at room temperature) between 40 and 300 K, in contrast to that of graphite. These ESR features are discussed in terms of the electronic structure of carbon nanotubes predicted by theoretical calculation. The magnetic field dependence of differential magnetic susceptibility (χdiff) indicates a logarithmic divergence in the magnetic field H≤2 kG and the χdiff is a positive value at H≊0.8 kG, which is qualitatively consistent with the magnetic properties of metallic carbon nanotube enunciated by Ajiki and Ando.