Formation of a new electric material: Fullerene/metal polycrystalline film

An investigation of the formation behavior and mechanism of onion like fullerene/metal polycrystalline film under electron beam irradiation is presented. Metallic nanoparticles of Al, Au and Pt having diameters of 1 to approximately 35 nm, were supported on an amorphous carbon film with thickness of about 20 nm. The amorphous carbon film transformed into onion-like fullerene film under electron beam irradiation, with intensity about 10²⁰ e/cm²·sec using high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The transformation mechanism and growth morphology have been investigated. It is found that the nucleation and growth process of onion-like fullerenes from amorphous carbon were divided into several steps: Firstly, a few elliptic shells of carbon were induced under Al, Au or Pt nanoparticles; secondly, a gradual reorganization took place into the structures composed of quasi-concentric spheroid or sphered graphite, i.e., onion like fullerenes, and finally, fullerenes were bonded to each other into a film.