High-resolution transmission electron microscopy of heat-treated C60 nanotubes

Fullerene nanowhiskers and nanotubes are single crystals consisting of C60 molecules with a high aspect ratio of length to diameter. In this study, C60 nanowhiskers and nanotubes were heat-treated at various temperatures up to 3000 0C. The structural characteristics of the heated samples were examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. By the high-temperature heat treatment, the C60 nanotubes turned to glassy carbon composed of randomly oriented ribbons with graphitic layers with an interlayer spacing which is close to that of the (002) planes of graphite.