STRUCTURES AND IMAGES OF NOVEL DERIVATIVES OF CARBON NANOTUBES, FULLERENES AND RELATED NEW CARBON FORMS

In the light of tile finding that carbon nanotubes get functionalized on reaction with acid and other oxidizing agents? tile structures and shapes of nanotube derivatives resulting front possible reaction betwe en functionalized nanotubes, are obtained by an energy minimization pr ocedure and the structures, so obtained, are compared with the observe d microscopic images. The shapes of fullerene like and nanotube - like structures containing seven - membered rings, in addition to six and five - membered rings, are depicted along with the structures of bent nanotubes containing similar ring systems. Diamond-graphite hybrid str uctures which constitute an important class of carbon materials are al so investigated.