Synthesis of Cobalt-Encapsulated Carbon Nanocapsules Using Cobalt-Doped Fullerene Nanowhiskers

Abstract

We synthesized cobalt- (Co-) doped C60 nanowhiskers (NWs) by applying a liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation method using a C60-saturated toluene solution and 2-propanol with Co nitrate hexahydrate (Co(NO3)3⋅6H2O). Heating the NWs at 873–1173 K produced carbon nanocapsules (CNCs) that encapsulated Co clusters with a hexagonal-closed-packed structure. After heating at 1273 K, the encapsulated Co clusters in CNCs were transformed into orthorhombic Co2C clusters. It was found that Co- and Co2C-encapsulated CNCs can be produced by varying heating temperature.