Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
The preparation and structural characterization of carbon nanoclusters of different morphologies produced by three different methods and under a variety of conditions is reported. In a comparative manner, the growth phenomena and structural properties of carbon nanoclusters are investigated as synthesized by (a) the high temperature (˜3000 °C) and high carbon-content process of the conventional arc-discharge, (b) the high temperature but low carbon-content process of the modified arc-discharge, and finally (c) the relatively low temperature (˜500 °C) process of Ni catalytic disproportionation of carbon monoxide.