GROWTH RATE MEASUREMENT OF C60 FULLERENE NANOWHISKERS

The growth rate of C-60 fullerene nanowhiskers (C(60)NWs) prepared by the liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation method is measured and the growth mechanism is discussed. The growth of C(60)NWs is investigated from the data obtained at the growth temperatures of 5, 10, 15 and 20 degrees C. It is found that the convection of the solution scarcely influences the growth rate, suggesting that a surface reaction of C-60 molecules dominates the growth process. The activation energy of C(60)NWs' growth is estimated at about 52.8 kJ/mol from their initial stage of growth. This activation energy is much greater than that of C-60 diffusion in solutions found in the literature. This result suggests that the desolvation process of C-60 on the whisker surface governs the growth of C(60)NWs.