cm-Length free-standing Fe3C-filled thin graphite-like films and buckypaper-like films with high smoothness

Abstract

We report the fabrication of cm-length free standing thin graphitic-films filled with Fe₃C particles and of cm-length free standing thin buckypaper-like films comprising thin walled carbon nanotubes filled with Fe₃C nanowires which exhibit a high smoothness with an unusual reflectance in the 450–1000 nm wavelength region. These films are fabricated by chemical vapour deposition of ferrocene in presence of large quantities of toluene or dichlorobenzene respectively. The structural, magnetic and optical properties of these films are analysed in detail through scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry and spectrography.