FT - ICR Studies of Laser Vaporized Clusters from Ni / Co and Ni / Y Loaded Graphite Samples

1. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Namiki 1-2-1, Tsukuba, Ibaragi 305-8564, JAPAN 2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, JAPAN ABSTRACT Metal-carbon binary clusters generated by the laser vaporization of Ni/Co and Ni/Y loaded graphite samples used for the macroscopic production of SWNTs were studied. Positive and negative clusters generated by the laser-vaporization supersonic-expansion cluster beam source were directly injected to the FT-ICR mass spectrometer. The chemical reaction of these clusters with NO was used as the probe of the geometrical structure of clusters. It was speculated that a few Ni or Co atoms attached outside of imperfect carbon cage for Ni/Co loaded case, and that Y atom was included in the carbon cage for Ni/Y loaded case.