Synthesis of feather-like carbon nanosheet arrays by radio frequency plasma technique

Feather-like aligned carbon nanosheet arrays with uniform structures were synthesized from coal by radio-frequency (RF) plasma technique. The morphologies and structures of the products were characterized by FESEM, HRTEM, and Raman spectroscopy. The results clearly indicated that the aligned nanosheet arrays with high purity and high packing density could be prepared from coal. The nanosheet arrays consisted of carbon sheets with clear feather configuration, and a narrow length distribution ranging from 20–30 lm. The growth mechanism of the nanosheet arrays was discussed in terms of the chemical structure of coal and RF plasma chemistry