Graphene mediated self-assembly of fullerene nanorods

Abstract

A simple procedure for solution-based self-assembly of C60 fullerene nanorods on graphene substrates is presented. Using a combination of electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, it is shown that the size, shape and morphology of the nanorods can be suitably modified by controlling the kinetics of self-assembly.

Effect of surface preparation of copper on spin-coating driven self- assembly of fullerene molecules

“…For clarity, initial focus was placed on two rotation speeds (200 and 4000 rpm) that represent the slowest and fastest spin-rates chosen in this study and two distinct substrates namely, EP-Cu and G-Cu. As pointed out by Gnanaprakasa et al [18], the self-assembly of fullerene structures on substrates is driven by the availability of surface adsorption sites. In this context, one should expect EP-Cu and G-Cu to behave very differently given the highly uniform surface of EP-Cu and the presence of graphene corrugations in G-Cu respectively.…”

“…In particular, it was shown that if graphene was used as the substrate, faceted fullerene rods with well-defined size and morphology were reliably and controllably obtained under the directed air-stream. On the other hand, if copper was used as the substrate, islands/agglomerates were typically obtained [18], unless the coating step was repeated multiple times leading to higher yield of fullerene rods [8]. However, for both systems, the nucleation and growth mechanisms underlying the fullerene rods was controlled the kinetics of evaporation of the solvent under the directed air drying.…”

“…Of particular relevance to the current work is the substrate mediated self-assembly method as pioneered by Gnanaprakasa et al [18]. A fullerene solution was either drop-casted or dip-coated onto a substrate and dried under a directed air-stream.…”

The Structure and Electronic States of Self-Assembled C60 Crystals

“…It has been extensively applied in the detailed analysis of 2D and 3D carbon-based materials, e.g., fullerenes [1], nanotubes [2], and graphene [3,4]. We are particularly interested in Buckminster fullerene, C60, because of its recent detection in protoplanetary nebulae [5,6], its potential to contain heteroatoms [7], and its ability to selfassemble into crystalline rods, tubes and islands in meso-and nano-scales [8]. However, nanoscale analysis of such C materials requires low-voltage techniques in order to mitigate electron-beam induced damage.…”

“…It also paves the way to carry out EELS measurements of the plasmon excitation and fine structure of the * and * bonding of the C60 structures in various states. Furthermore, because crystal morphology is dependent on the growth substrate and solvent used [8,9], we plan on carrying out a systematic study of C60 structures that can be synthesized based on the choice of the solvent(s) in conjunction with the substrate(s) [10]. …”