Structural studies of oriented carbon nanotubes in alumina channels using high energy X-ray diffraction

Structural studies of multi-wall carbon nanotubes prepared by template pyrolytic carbon deposition from thermal decomposition of propylene at 800 degrees C inside channels of an alumina membrane have been performed using X-ray diffraction. The two-dimensional diffraction pattern of the deposited carbon nanotubes, recorded directly within the alumina template using an image plate detector, exhibits two dark arcs corresponding to the (002) graphitic reflection. The anisotropic scattering distribution indicates alignment of the nanotubes. The diffracted intensity was measured for the powdered samples after removing the alumina membrane using a point detector. A maximum scattering vector of K-max = 20 angstrom(-1) yielded the radial distribution function, providing evidence that the investigated nanotubes form a distorted hexagonal network that implies the presence of five-membered rings. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.