We have studied the work function and density of states (DOS) of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). Raw MWNTs were purified by successive sonication, centrifugation, sedimentation, and filtration processes with the aid of a nonionic surfactant. The purified MWNTs showed a slightly lower work function (4.3 eV) than that of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (4.4 eV). Effects of three different oxidative treatments, air-, oxygen plasma-, and acid-oxidation, have also been studied. It was found that oxidative treatments affect the DOS of valence bands and increase the work function. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements have suggested that gas-phase treatment preferentially forms hydroxyl and carbonyl groups, while liquid-phase treatment forms carboxylic acid groups on the surface of MWNTs. These surface chemical groups disrupt the π-conjugation and introduce surface dipole moments, leading to higher work functions up to 5.1 eV. We expect the information on the work function of the MWNTs to be of importance to the development of electronic or optoelectronic applications.

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Exceptionally long C60 nanowires, with a length to width aspect ratio as large as 3000, are grown from a 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene solution of C60. They have been formed to possess a highly unusual morphology, with each nanowire being composed of two nanobelts joined along the growth direction to give a V-shaped cross section. The crystal structure of these nanowires is found to be orthorhombic, with the unit cell dimensions of a = 10.2 A, b = 20.5 A, and c = 25.6 A. Structural and compositional analyses enable us to explain the observed geometry with an anisotropic molecular packing mechanism that has not been observed previously in C60 crystal studies. The nanowires have been observed to be able to transform into carbon nanofibers following high-temperature treatment, but the original V-shaped morphology can be kept unchanged in the transition. A model for the nanowire morphology based upon the solvent-C60 interactions and preferential growth directions is proposed, and potentially it could be extended for use to grow different types of fullerene nanowires.

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There is considerable interest in the adhesion of polymers to carbon nanotubes for nanocomposite applications.(1-4) One example is multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) dispersed in nylon 6,6.(5) We will show that high-contrast tomographic reconstructions can be created from plasmon-loss electrons that show the three-dimensional structural complexity of the MWCNT-nylon composite at the nanoscale. Further, by recording a series of energy-loss images at successive tilts, it is possible to interrogate subvolumes to extract energy-loss spectra from the reconstructed "volume spectra".