Emergence of carbon nanoscrolls from single walled carbon nanotubes: an oxidative route

Abstract

Carbon nanoscrolls (CNS), a one dimensional (1D) helical form of carbon, have received enormous attention recently due to their unique structure, superior properties and potential applications. In this work, radial merging of HiPCO single walled nanotube (SWNT) bundles and emergence of CNS are reported following a reflux action involving wet oxidation, HCl washing and annealing at 900 °C. We observe macroscopic quantities of graphene sheets (GS) in the post-treated sample and beautiful manifestation of curling and folding of the GS into CNS. Here, a simple solution based oxidative route for successful merging and exfoliation of SWNT bundles and subsequent formation of CNS are demonstrated and discussed in view of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. Direct evidence of emergence of CNS from SWNTs via synthesis of GS through a simple oxidative method is reported for the first time.