Modulating properties of solid carbon nanospheres <i>via</i> ion implantation with hetero-ions

Solid carbon nanospheres of ∼200 nm diameter have been prepared and then doped by ion implantation, using a specialized end-station adapted for the uniform implantation of powders. Boron, nitrogen and neon ions were chosen, the latter for control purposes. Herein, the dependence of the physicochemical properties of solid carbon spheres on the fluence of the implanted ions was investigated by controlling the addition of the 100 keV of B⁺, N⁺ or Ne⁺ ions into the carbon shell over 7 h and 14 h implantation periods at room temperature. SEM analysis revealed significant surface deformation in the form of cracks for the Ne⁺ implanted samples, whilst little structural deformation was observed with N⁺ and B⁺ implanted samples. Furthermore, TEM micrographs confirmed the dependence of the structural properties on the ion fluence. Finally, magnetic properties showed that the type of the hetero-ion as well as the affiliation of the carbon with the bonding configurations of the hetero-ion influenced the transition from diamagnetism to super-paramagnetism as absolute zero was approached. The Néel temperature varied somewhat but was below about 10 K. Boron conferred a much greater paramagnetic susceptibility at low temperature than the other ions and showed indications of a higher electrical conductivity at higher temperatures, suggesting an electronic doping effect. The study highlights the impact of the choice of the heteroatom ion on the properties of the solid carbon spheres for the development of next generation carbon-based electronic devices.