Carbon nanoparticle appearing in perfect spherical shape, with sizes varying from tens nanometers to several micrometers, can be produced by pulsed-laser ablating different elementary carbon samples immersed in water. A variety of samples including HOPG,graphite, arcdischarging deposite, glassy-carbon and imitation-diamond have been tried.The yield of the diamand nanospherulite is found to depend on the structure of the sample.The SAED pattern of the carbon-sphere produced from arc-discharging deposite can be at-tributed to the hexagonal structure of diamond, and its HREM image exihibits 0.38nm×0.31 nm lattice, which is just three times of the distances for (110) (d=0.126 nm) and (004) (d=0.1030nm) crystal layers of hexagonal diamond, respectively. While the SAED pattern from glassy-carbon sample displays a cubic-diamond structure. Furthermore, Raman spectra and 13C NMR indicate tetrahedral network of the spheres.
Ring tubes (tori) have been observed from the carbon soot. The sample was prepared in the pure nitrogen atmosphere by axcing the graphite electrodes, which was covered with aluminum film. Based on their TEM images, structural model and possible formation mechanism of the species were described.
