High-resolution electron microscopy of a microporous carbon

The structure of a microporous carbon prepared by the carbonization of sucr ose was examined using high-resolution electron microscopy. It was found to be disordered and isotropic and primarily made up of tightly curved indivi dual carbon layers, enclosing pores typically about 1 nm in size. Completel y closed carbon particles were also present. These observations suggest tha t the carbon may have a fullerene-related structure, in which pentagons and heptagons are distributed randomly throughout a hexagonal network, produci ng continuous curvature.