Jang Jae-Won
Division of Physics and Semiconductor Science, Dongguk University, Seoul, 04620, Republic of Korea.
Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 12;11(1):701. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-79692-2.
Bamboo-shaped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (BS-MWCNTs) have compartmented structures inherently obtained during their catalytic growth, and the curvature of the compartmented structure is known to be determined by the morphology of the metal catalysts. In this study, the inside curvature of the BS-MWCNTs was directly measured through scanning probe microscopy (SPM). The surface of the compartment structures of BS-MWCNTs has discontinuous graphene layers and different frictional force levels depending on the curvature direction. That of the inside curvature can be directly observed through tribological analysis by adding and subtracting the lateral force microscopy images obtained on opposite sides along the axial direction of the BS-MWCNT (diameter of 500 nm). This tells us the direction of the inside curvature of the BS-MWCNT, which was also confirmed by identifying the growth direction of the BS-MWCNTs via scanning electron microscopy. Our demonstration implies that SPM can give the same insight into the structural characterization of nanomaterials that is relatively inexpensive and more user-friendly than currently used methods.
竹节状多壁碳纳米管（BS-MWCNTs）在催化生长过程中固有地具有分隔结构，并且已知分隔结构的曲率由金属催化剂的形态决定。在本研究中，通过扫描探针显微镜（SPM）直接测量了BS-MWCNTs的内部曲率。BS-MWCNTs分隔结构的表面具有不连续的石墨烯层，并且根据曲率方向具有不同的摩擦力水平。通过对沿BS-MWCNT轴向（直径500nm）相对两侧获得的侧向力显微镜图像进行加减，可以通过摩擦学分析直接观察内部曲率的情况。这告诉我们BS-MWCNT内部曲率的方向，通过扫描电子显微镜确定BS-MWCNTs的生长方向也证实了这一点。我们的论证表明，与目前使用的方法相比，SPM可以在纳米材料的结构表征方面提供相同的见解，而且相对便宜且更便于用户使用。
