Unique black coatings were observed in the inner wall of pottery shreds excavated from Keeladi, Tamilnadu, India. Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to understand the nature of the coating. The analysis revealed the presence of single, multi-walled carbon nanotubes and layered sheets in the coating. The average diameter of single-walled carbon nanotube found to be about 0.6 ± 0.05 nm. This is the lowest among the single-walled carbon nanotubes reported from artefacts so far and close to the theoretically predicted value (0.4 nm). These nanomaterials were coated in the pottery’s that date backs to sixth century BC, and still retain its stability and adhesion. The findings of nano materials in the pre-historic artifacts, its significance and impact are discussed in this article.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.