Discovery of carbon nanowires formed on a carbon-doped Ni(111) substrate by a bulk-to-surface precipitation process

We have discovered a synthesis method for carbon nanowires on a flat single-crystal graphite (0001) surface on a carbon-doped Ni(111) substrate using only heat treatment in ultrahigh vacuum. It should be noted that this new carbon nanowire synthesis method requires no external carbon-containing source. The growth mechanism utilizes a bulk-to-surface precipitation process of internal carbon atoms that were doped in a pure Ni(111) substrate in advance. Nanometer-scale, morphology and chemistry of the carbon nanowires have been clarified by low-energy electron diffraction combined with Auger electron spectroscopy (LEED/AES), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and field-emission scanning Auger microcopy.