A scheme for fabricating single wall carbon nanocones standing on metal surfaces and an evaluation of their stability

A scheme is proposed for fabricating single wall carbon nanocones standing on metal surfaces with controlled sizes and cone angles by tailoring graphene sheets. A statistical model to examine the feasibility and stability of the cones has been developed. Combined with classical molecular dynamics simulations and ab initio calculations, the results show that cones with five different cone angles can be obtained, and the cone consisting of only 70 atoms can exist for 1011 years at room temperature. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.