Wq. Han et al., Synthesis of GaN-carbon composite nanotubes and GaN nanorods by arc discharge in nitrogen atmosphere, APPL PHYS L, 76(5), 2000, pp. 652-654
A method using an arc discharge in a nitrogen atmosphere for synthesizing l
arge quantities of gallium nitride (GaN)-Carbon composite nanotubes and GaN
nanorods is reported. The reaction is achieved by a dc arc discharge betwe
en a graphite anode filled with a mixture of GaN, graphite, and nickel powd
ers and a graphite cathode in a nitrogen atmosphere. The GaN are presented
as rodlike fillings in the composite tubes and the isolated GaN nanorods ha
ve diameters in the range of 7-45 nanometers and a length of up to 40 mu m.
The outer graphitic shells of the composite carbon nanotubes have thicknes
ses ranging from 1 to 8 nm. It was found that the use of a nitrogen atmosph
ere plays a crucial role for the growth of the GaN nanorods fillings and th
e individual GaN nanorods. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6
951(00)02905-3].