The phenomenon of changing coiling-chirality in carbon nanocoils obtained by catalytic pyrolysis of acetylene with various catalysts.

Carbon nanocoils were prepared by the chemical vapor deposition process of the catalytic pyrolysis of acetylene at 700-800 degrees C with various catalysts. Twisting or coiling-formed carbon nanocoils with changing coiling-chirality and zigzag-formed carbon nanofibers were obtained with SUS 304, WS2, Pt-Pd, TiN, and Ni as the catalysts. Their morphologies and microstructures were examined in detail, and then the changing mechanism of the coiling-chirality was discussed. No apparent difference in the microstructure between the part of a nanocoil with changing coiling-chirality and the part of a zigzag nanofiber with changing zigzag-chirality, or between a bulk right-clockwise coil and a bulk left-clockwise coil was observed. It was supposed that changing coiling-chirality was mainly caused by the gradual or successive change in chemical composition on the thin layers present on the surface of catalyst grains during the chemical vapor deposition process.