Radial Distribution Function Analysis of Carbon Nanotubes

A. Szczygielskaa, A. Jabłońskaa, A. Buriana,b, J.C. Dorec, V. Honkimakid, and J.B. Nagye aInstitute of Physics, University of Silesia, Uniwersytecka 4, 40-007 Katowice, Poland bCentre of Polymer Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej 34, 41-819 Zabrze, Poland cSchool of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NR, UK dEuropean Synchrotron Radiation Facility, B.P. 220, 38043 Grenoble cedex 9, France eInstitute for Studies in Interface Sciences, Facultes Universitaires Notre Dame de la Paix rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000 Namur, Belgium

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Wide-angle X-ray scattering studies of carbon nanotubes produced by catalytic decomposition of acetylene on a supported Co catalyst are reported. The X-ray intensities were recorded up to maximum scattering vector Kmax=24Å and then Fourier transformed to real space. Yielding the radial distribution functions of good spatial resolution were analysed by the model based on fitting procedures method. Detailed analysis of the experimental data by a least-squares fitting procedure shows that the local atomic structure exhibits the expected hexagonal network with the nearest-neighbour C-C distance of 1.41Å. Investigation of stacking nature of subsequent layers suggests the structure in which adjacent layers are arranged without spatial correlations with inter-tubule spacing of about 3.4Å.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.98.611 PACS numbers: 61.10.-i, 81.05.Tp