LaB6 aided spontaneous conversion of bulk graphite into carbon nanotubes at normal atmospheric conditions

Herein, we report a case study in which we saw the spontaneous conversion of commercial bulk graphite into LaB6 decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under normal atmospheric conditions. The feedstock graphite was used as a hollow cylindrical anode filled with LaB6 powder and partially eroded in a DC electric-arc plasma reactor in pure nitrogen atmosphere. An unusual and spontaneous deformation of the plasma-treated residual anode into a fluffy powder was seen to continue for months when left to ambient atmospheric conditions. The existence of LaB6 decorated multi-walled CNTs at large quantity was confirmed in the as-generated powder by using electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. The as-synthesized CNT-based large-area field emitter showed promising field-emitting properties with a low turn-on electric field of ~1.5 V per micrometer, and a current density of ~1.17 mA per square cm at an applied electric field of 3.24 V per micrometer.