Carbon nanofoam formed by laser ablation.

Foam-like carbon (carbon nanofoam, CNF) which belongs to the porous carbon family is formed by pulsed laser ablation of graphite in liquid nitrogen. Each bubble is about 3-10 nm in size and has a layered structure with typically one to four graphene layers. The CNF forms nanoparticles of about 100 nm in size. CNF encapsulating platinum nanoparticles (Pt@CNF) is formed when a mixture of graphite, platinum, and hexadecanoic acid is used as a target. Each bubble encapsulating a platinum nanoparticle is approximately 15 +/- 4 nm in diameter and contains typically 6 +/- 3 graphene walls. The platinum nanoparticles in the CNF are 9 +/- 4 nm in diameter. The annealing of the Pt@CNF at 300 degrees C for a week in vacuum reveals that the CNF effectively prevents the platinum nanoparticles from aggregating.