Supercarbon

This book is a status report on the synthesis, properties, and applications of new carbonaceous materials. These materials are called pi-electron materials since they have extended pi-electron clouds in the solid state. They include carbon, nanotubes, fullerenes, and graphite. The major topics are the synthesis of graphite and carbon nanotubes at low temperatures, intercalation compounds of carbon nanotubes exhibiting universal conductance fluctuation, and technological applications of carbon materials in semiconductor physics, chemistry, and biology. The special properties of pi-electron materials give rise to the development of novel functional devices. This book is written for materials researchers, physicists, and research engineers involved in the development of these new carbon-based devices.This book is a status report on synthesis, properties and applications of new carbonaceous materials (defined as "pi-electron materials") with extended pi-electron clouds in the solid state, including graphite, fullerenes and carbon nanotubes. The major topics in this book are: synthesis of graphite and carbon nanotubes at temperatures as low as 700; intercalation compounds of carbon nanotubes exhibiting "universal conductance fluctuation"; technological applications of carbonaceaous materials, such as light-emitting devices, semiconductor devices (solar cells) or catalysers for chemical and biological reactions. Various interactions between pi-electron materials and other materials are revealed, which lay the foundation for developing novel functional devices.