Transmission Electron Microscopy Study on the Surface Properties of CNTs and Fullerites Exposed to CF4 Plasma

Abstract

AbstractVarious types of CNTs, i.e. single-wall, double-wall, triple-wall, quadruple-wall and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and fullerites were fluorinated in inductive coupled radio-frequency (RF) CF4 plasma at 13.56 MHz, and their structural and bonding properties were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). We have discussed the correlation between the number of graphene sheets in a CNT and the stability against the fluorination. TEM and XPS analysis clearly state that increase of the number leads to the gain of fluorinated stability. The fluorination of CNTs is initiated at outer tubes and proceeds to inner tubes with increasing RF power, but fluorination depth is limited to only surface area. The fluorination of fullerites forms amorphous layer at the surface, and increases the depth of the layer with RF power.