Characterization of high-pressure sintered C60 nanowhiskers and C60 powder

C-60 nanowhiskers fabricated by liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation method and pristine C-60 powder were sintered at 800 degrees C under 5.5 GPa for 2 h. The specimens showed high micro-Vickers hardness about 1100 kg/mm(2) and electrical resistivity as low as several Omega m. Structural characterization by x-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and Raman spectroscopy revealed that Most Of C-60 molecules were broken to form turbostratic graphite by high-pressure and high-temperature treatment. Comparison with the pristine C-60 powder sintered under the same conditions suggests that the structural change depends microscopically on the C-60 molecules, but the size and the morphology of the starting material also affect the macroscopic sintering process.