CARBON ONIONS THIN-FILM FORMATION AND CHARACTERIZATION

Spherical carbon onions (10-20 nm in size) have been synthesized by hi gh-fluence (3.10(17) Cm-2) 120 keV carbon-ion implantation in silver s ubstrates heated at 500 degrees C. We report Transmission Electron Mic roscopy (TEM) observations obtained from these carbon clusters. Atomic Force Microscopy images of the implanted surface assess the formation of a high density of spherical carbon onions. The implantation proces s used here can become a powerful technique to synthesize thin films c onstituted of large quantities of carbon onions and thus opens new opp ortunities to study their unknown properties.