High resolution electron microscopy studies in carbon soots

A descriptive study using high resolution electron microscopy of fullerene-related carbon structures found in carbon soots is presented. Nanotubules, onions, small particles, carbon fibers, and tangled structures are some of the structures characterized here. Several methods, such as arc discharge, catalytic induced growth from vapor, heating, and electron irradiation were used to prepare the carbon soot samples. Several structures are reported here, such as tangled balls of graphite, self-arranged ellipsoidal graphite rings, and fiber structures grown from vapor. In the last case, we also show that the shape of the growing fiber layers is determined by the shape of the substrate particles.