Direct observation of structural change in Au-incorporated carbon nanofibers during field emission process

We present a direct observation of structural change in Au-incorporated carbon nanofiber (CNF) during a field emission (FE) process using an in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM images and their electron diffraction pattern together with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) indicated that the amorphous carbon structure of CNF was transformed to hollow graphitic structure catalyzed by dispersed Au particles before FE. Thus, the in situ TEM study will be promising to reveal the formation process of nanocarbon materials by solid phase reaction depending on the catalyst metal element for metal-incorporated CNFs.