Abstract
Carbon whiskers (more commonly called filaments) grown above 900°C by decomposition of gaseous hydrocarbons on submicron catalytic particles are invariably tubular. Because the surface free energy of the (0001) basal plane of graphite is exceptionally low, the free energy required for filament growth is minimized when the outer surface is a curved basal plane. We consider the chemical potential of such an arrangement, and show that it is energetically favorable for the filament to create a hollow core rather than precipitate highly strained cylindrical planes of small diameter. Calculations based on this model give encouraging agreement with measured whisker inner diameters. Furthermore, the observed variation of the hollow core diameter along the whisker length may be a consequence of a weak maximum in the chemical potential.
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