Scanning force microscopy of catalytic nickel particles prepared from carbon nanotubes

The method of scanning force microscopy (SFM) is used to study catalytic nickel nanoparticles deposited on a substrate of quartz glass by decomposition of carbon nanotubes. The SFM images so obtained were computer processed using an original numerical deconvolution algorithm which allowed us to determine the actual dimensions and shape of the nanoparticles. Nonoverlapping particles with diameters from 20 to 200 nm were recorded. Analysis of the SFM images revealed that the shape of the nickel particles is nearly spherical, which is in good agreement with transmission electron microscopy data. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.