Real-time observation of fullerene generation in a modified electron microscope

Since the discovery of fullerenes (Kroto et al., Nature 318 (1985) 162 [1]) and related structures (Iijima, Nature 354 (1991) 56 [2]; Ebbesen ct al., Nature 358 (1992) 220 [3]) a vast amount of research has focused on understanding the mechanism of their formation. We report an investigation that has attempted to re-create in-situ some of the physical conditions found in an are-discharge chamber (Kratschmer et al., Nature 347 (1990) 354 [4]) by using controlled environment high resolution transmission electron microscopy. This approach has allowed us to observe, for the first time, single layer fullerene shells forming at the surface of previously untreated graphite particles. It is anticipated that this will contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of fullerene nucleation.