Carbon nanocrosses: Synthesis, characterization and growth mechanism of a novel carbon nano-structure

We report the growth and structural information of a novel carbon-based nanostructure in the form of crosses with hollow interiors. The center of the cross has a diameter about 160–180 nm, and the four branches of the cross junction consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes are uniformly tapered to form the pointed tips. These conical branches of the nanocrosses are composed of coaxial cylindrical graphene sheets, a continuous shortening of the graphene layers in the outer surface along the axial direction. A liquid droplet dispersion theory is proposed to explain the growth of this new carbon nanostructure.