Behavior of carbon nanotubes under high pressure and high temperature

The structural changes of carbon nanotubes induced by high pressure and high temperature were investigated by means of x-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that, with increasing pressure and temperature, the lattice constant d₀₀₂ of tubes shortens, and then tubes collapse into tapelike ones; at the same time the C–C bonds at high curvature break, which lead the tapelike tubes to break into graphite sheets as diamond crystallization centers. Compared with graphite, the diamond particles from carbon nanotubes have many defects as the trace of tubes.