This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. WikiProject Chemistry or the Chemistry Portal may be able to help recruit one. (November 2008)

Carbon nanofibers are cylindric nanostructures with graphene layers arranged as stacked cones, cups or plates. Carbon nanofibers with graphene layers wrapped into perfect cylinders are called carbon nanotubes.

Contents 1 Synthesis 2 Applications 3 History 4 External links 5 References

[edit] Synthesis

Carbon nanofibers are produced from the catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbon gases or carbon monoxide over selected metal particles.

[edit] Applications

• Field electron emission Sources
• Composite materials
• Scanning probe microscopy tips
• Carrier material for various catalysts in petrochemistry
• In vertically-aligned arrays, a platform for gene delivery. See Impalefection
• for shielding in space

[edit] History

One of the first records is probably a patent dated 1889 on synthesis of filamentous carbon by Hughes and Chambers^[1]. The first electron microscopy observations of carbon nanofibers were performed in 1950 by Russian group ^[2] . In USA in 1970s, the deeper studies in this area were led by R. Terry K. Baker and were motivated by the need to inhibit the growth of carbon nanofibers because of the persistent problems caused by accumulation of the material in a variety of commercial processes [Ref Baker]. In Japan, Morinobu Endo pioneered the synthesis of carbon nanofibers ^[3]

[edit] External links

• "Vertically aligned carbon nanofibers and related structures: Controlled synthesis and directed assembly"

[edit] References

This science article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e