Preparation of the iron carbide-fullerene black nanostructured composite coating on the steel-45 surface

Fullerene black at 1150°C interacts with the surface of iron to form a nanostructured composite coating consisting of orthorhombic iron carbide crystallites of 60–100 nm size and dispersed islands of fullerene black. In the process of formation of the composite coatings both the fullerene black with a particle size of 40–50 nm and the carbon oxide formed in the process were involved. Under the conditions of the process, the content of hydrogen and oxygen in the structure of fullerene black decreased, straightening out curved surfaces occurred, and appeared a system of aromatic conjugation.