Structure of Carbon Materials Explored by Local Transmission Electron Microscopy and Global Powder Diffraction Probes

Karolina Jurkiewicz,Mirosława Pawlyta,Andrzej Burian

doi:10.3390/c4040068

Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy and neutron or X-ray diffraction are powerful techniques available today for characterization of the structure of various carbon materials at nano and atomic levels. They provide complementary information but each one has advantages and limitations. Powder X-ray or neutron diffraction measurements provide structural information representative for the whole volume of a material under probe but features of singular nano-objects cannot be identified. Transmission electron microscopy, in turn, is able to probe single nanoscale objects. In this review, it is demonstrated how transmission electron microscopy and powder X-ray and neutron diffraction methods complement each other by providing consistent structural models for different types of carbons such as carbon blacks, glass-like carbons, graphene, nanotubes, nanodiamonds, and nanoonions.

Highlights

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools that greatly contributes to the development of our knowledge on the structure of carbon materials.This direct imaging technique has provided valuable structural information about carbon materials, especially for carbon nanomaterials
XRD studies of disordered carbons performed by Franklin did not provide evidence that the graphite-like layers may be curved, she first allowed such a possibility to explain the mechanism of the crystallite growth during graphitisation: “In a compact carbon, the conception of whole layer-planes moving by small stages seems a reasonable one; no large, abrupt movement need be involved, especially if we admit the possibility of a slight bending of the layers during their migration” [21]
It was shown that the position, intensity, and width of the (10) diffraction peak could be affected diameters and the powder XRD or ND data may help to get an average value of the single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) diameter, as well as to estimate distribution frequencies of the tube diameters [108]

Summary

Introduction

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools that greatly contributes to the development of our knowledge on the structure of carbon materials This direct imaging technique has provided valuable structural information about carbon materials, especially for carbon nanomaterials. We are concerned with the comparison of the structural information obtained by the TEM and the powder XRD and ND probes for different types of carbons such as carbon blacks, glass-like carbons, graphene, nanotubes, nanodiamonds, and nanoonions. These techniques greatly complement each other and provide consistent images of the structure for various carbon materials, which would be incomplete when characterized using only one of these methods alone

Carbon Black

Historical

Figures reprinted with permission

Diamond Method ns nF nt

15. Nanostructures observed

25. Models

Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene

25. Reproduced

35. Forare theclearly defect-free

39. Active

Nanodiamonds and Carbon Nanoonions

45. This shows a sequence the diffraction of is presented in Figure