Structures of soot generated by laser induced pyrolysis of metal-graphite composite targets Original Research Article

The first results of a novel laser induced pyrolysis (LIP) method for high yield production of fullerene and single walled nanotubes are reported. The pyrolysis process of graphite targets is carried out by means of a continuous CO2 laser under a flowing argon atmosphere. The vaporization of the targets and the deposition of the generated soot take place in a vertical experimental set-up.