Science. 1993 Apr 23;260(5107):515-8. doi: 10.1126/science.260.5107.515.
Fullerene tubular structures can be generated by vapor condensation of carbon on an atomically flat graphite surface. Scanning tunneling microscope (STM) images revealed the presence of tubes with extremely small diameters (from 10 to 70 angstroms), most of which are terminated by hemispherical caps. Atomic resolution images of such structures showed that the tubes have a helical graphitic nature. The formation of the tubes under the quasi-free conditions suggests that the growth to tubular rather than spherical configurations is preferred for "giant fullerenes."
富勒烯管状结构可以通过碳原子在原子级平坦石墨表面上的蒸汽冷凝来生成。扫描隧道显微镜（STM）图像显示存在极细直径（10 至 70 埃）的管状结构，其中大多数由半球形帽端终止。这些结构的原子分辨率图像表明，这些管具有螺旋石墨性质。在准自由条件下形成的管状结构表明，对于“巨型富勒烯”，生长成管状而不是球形结构是优选的。
