Supercarbon: Synthesis, Properties and Applications

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.