Nanographite domains in carbon nanowalls

The nanostructure of carbon nanowalls (CNWs), composed of a stack of several graphite sheets, was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Our detailed analysis revealed that numerous graphite regions with an average size of about 20 nm were formed in the CNWs. The formation of these regions originates from the introduction of lattice defects such as dislocations and the slight rotation of the graphite sheets. On this basis, it is concluded that the graphite regions, so-called nanographite domains, are the constitutional units of the CNWs. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.