Carbon nanostructures and graphite-coated metal nanostructures obtained by pyrolysis of ruthenocene and ruthenocene-ferrocene mixtures

Pyrolysis of ruthenocene carried out in an atmosphere of argon or hydrogen is found to give rise to spherical nanoparticles of carbon with diameters in the 10–200 nm range. Pyrolysis of ruthenocene as well as mixtures of ruthenocene and ethylene in hydrogen gives rise to spherical nanoparticles, which contain a high proportion of sp3 carbon. Under certain conditions, pyrolysis of ruthenocene gives rise to graphite coated ruthenium nanoparticles as well as worm-like carbon structures. Pyrolysis of mixtures of ruthenocene and ferrocene gives rise to nanoparticles or nanorods of FeRu alloys, the composition depending upon the composition of the original mixture. Nanorods of the Ru and FeRu alloys encapsulated in the carbon nanotubes are also formed in the pyrolysis reaction.