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Material science

Oxygen breaks into carbon world

Nature volume 441, pages 818–819 (2006)Cite this article

When oxygen atoms bind to a graphite surface, they fall into line and make bridges across carbon atoms. This is the spearhead of a chemical attack in which the atomic arrangement of solid carbon is torn apart.

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Figure 1: Oxygen attack on graphite.

P. M. AJAYAN & B. I . YAKOBSON

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, 12180, New York, USA

    Pulickel M. Ajayan

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, and the Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, 77005, Texas, USA

    Boris I. Yakobson

Authors
  1. Pulickel M. Ajayan
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  2. Boris I. Yakobson
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Ajayan, P., Yakobson, B. Oxygen breaks into carbon world. Nature 441, 818–819 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/441818a

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