Direct imaging of copper catalyst migration inside helical carbon nanofibers

Abstract

By using a double-aberration-corrected (scanning) transmission electron microscope (STEM/TEM) at an acceleration voltage of only 80 kV, we demonstrate that, due to the low solubility of copper (Cu) in carbon and its affinity with oxygen (O), single-crystal Cu catalysts dissociate into small cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanoparticles after the growth of carbon nanofibers, and Cu2O nanoparticles ultimately localize on the fiber surfaces. This new finding is a step toward a better understanding of the interactions between Cu catalysts and carbon nanomaterials and could suggest a simple and effective method for eliminating Cu impurities from the fibers.

Department(s)

Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/23/3/035702

Publication Date

2011

Journal Title

Nanotechnology

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