A method to evaluate the tensile strength and stress-strain relationship of carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, and C-chains

In Situ Electron Driven Carbon Nanopillar-Fullerene Transformation through Cr Atom Mediation

The promise of sp² nanomaterials remains immense, and ways to strategically combine and manipulate these nanostructures will further enhance their potential as well as advance nanotechnology as a whole. The scale of these structures requires precision at the atomic scale. In this sense electron microscopes are attractive as they offer both atomic imaging and a means to structurally modify structures. Here we show how Cr atoms can be used as physical linkers to connect carbon nanotubes and fullerenes to graphene. Crucially, while under electron irradiation, the Cr atoms can drive transformations such as catalytic healing of a hole in graphene with simultaneous transformation of a single wall carbon nanotube into a fullerene. The atomic resolution of the electron microscopy along with density functional theory based total energy calculations provide insight into the dynamic transformations of Cr atom linkers. The work augments the potential of transmission electron microscopes as nanolaboratories.

Transmission electron microscopy of thiol-capped Au clusters on C: Structure and electron irradiation effects

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy is used to study interactions between thiol-capped Au clusters and amorphous C support films. The morphologies of the clusters are found to depend both on their size and on the local structure of the underlying C. When the C is amorphous, larger Au clusters are crystalline, while smaller clusters are typically disordered. When the C is graphitic, the Au particles adopt either elongated shapes that maximize their contact with the edge of the C film or planar arrays when they contain few Au atoms. We demonstrate the influence of electron beam irradiation on the structure, shape and stability of the Au clusters, as well as on the formation of holes bounded by terraces of graphitic lamellae in the underlying C.

Carbon nanomaterials for nerve tissue stimulation and regeneration

Nanotechnology offers new perspectives in the field of innovative medicine, especially for reparation and regeneration of irreversibly damaged or diseased nerve tissues due to lack of effective self-repair mechanisms in the peripheral and central nervous systems (PNS and CNS, respectively) of the human body. Carbon nanomaterials, due to their unique physical, chemical and biological properties, are currently considered as promising candidates for applications in regenerative medicine. This chapter discusses the potential applications of various carbon nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes, nanofibers and graphene for regeneration and stimulation of nerve tissue, as well as in drug delivery systems for nerve disease therapy.

Carbon nanofibers and carbon nanotubes in regenerative medicine

Carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers have long been investigated for applications in composite structural materials, semiconductor devices, and sensors. With the recent well-documented ability to chemically modify nanofibrous carbon materials to improve their solubility and biocompatibility properties: a whole new class of bioactive carbon nanostructures has been created for biological applications. This review focuses on the latest applications of carbon nanofibers and carbon nanotubes in regenerative medicine.

Growth of carbon nanostructures on carbonized electrospun nanofibers with palladium nanoparticles

This paper studies the mechanism of the formation of carbon nanostructures on carbon nanofibers with Pd nanoparticles by using different carbon sources. The carbon nanofibers with Pd nanoparticles were produced by carbonizing electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers including Pd(Ac)(2). Such PAN-based carbon nanofibers were then used as substrates to grow hierarchical carbon nanostructures. Toluene, pyridine and chlorobenzine were employed as carbon sources for the carbon nanostructures. With the Pd nanoparticles embedded in the carbonized PAN nanofibers acting as catalysts, molecules of toluene, pyridine or chlorobenzine were decomposed into carbon species which were dissolved into the Pd nanoparticles and consequently grew into straight carbon nanotubes, Y-shaped carbon nanotubes or carbon nano-ribbons on the carbon nanofiber substrates. X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were utilized to capture the mechanism of formation of Pd nanoparticles, regular carbon nanotubes, Y-shaped carbon nanotubes and carbon nano-ribbons. It was observed that the Y-shaped carbon nanotubes and carbon nano-ribbons were formed on carbonized PAN nanofibers containing Pd-nanoparticle catalyst, and the carbon sources played a crucial role in the formation of different hierarchical carbon nanostructures.