Production of novel carbon nanoclusters by catalytic arc discharge

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Carbon nanoclusters are realizing step by step their technological promises. The initial spherical fullerenes were followed by tubular configurations, and foreign materials were encapsulated into their hollow cores. When catalysts were introduced into the arc-discharge process, a large variety of novel growth phenomena were observed in their presence. We report here on a new type of cluster assembly - a string of carbon nanobeads attached to each other and to a catalytic particle - prepared in the presence of Ni. We also report on the preparation of single-walled carbon nanotubes catalyzed by Ni, Fe, and their mixtures, as well as on their densities observed in different locations in the reaction chamber.The initial material was generated by the catalytic arc-discharge method developed by Kratschmer and Huffman, with pure Ni introduced to a hollow graphite anode which was consumed during the evaporation. After the catalytic arc-discharge, black carbon soot was collected from the inner surface of the reaction chamber; then carbonaceous deposit (slag) was retrieved from the initial flat cathode; and finally a rubber-like deposit was obtained from the periphery of the slag.