Transmission electron microscopy investigation of tubular and capsular needlelike crystals of C60 produced by the liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation method

Tubular and capsular needlelike crystals of C-60 with a few hundreds nanometers to about one micrometer in diameter were discovered among the precipitates prepared by the liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation method. Addition of a small amount of (eta(2)-C (60))Pt(PPh3)(2) to the toluene solution of C-60 produced various morphologies of hollow C60 crystals. This paper gives the first report on the formation of structures we named C-60 nanotubes.