The structure of near-spherical carbon nano-shells Original Research Article

The empty, near-spherical, carbon nanoshells, frequently observed in preparations of carbon nanotubes, have been studied using nanodiffraction with electron probes of diameter 1 nm or less, formed in a scanning transmission electron microscope, and STEM imaging. For the larger nanoshells, it is shown that the shell walls are made up of flat regions composed of successive layers of well-ordered graphitic structure, about 5 or 10 nm thick and mutually rotated about their common c-axis direction.