Novel carbon filaments with carbon beads grown on their surface

A novel type of carbon filaments, wherein spindle- or sphere-like carbon beads are grown in-situ on their surface, was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The carbon filaments are straight and their average diameter is about 80 nm. TEM images of the carbon filaments show that the carbon beads were deposited after the filaments had grown. The special type of carbon filaments has a promising application in reinforcing composites.