A new phenomenon involving the formation of liquid mobile metal–carbon particles in the low-temperature catalytic graphitisation of amorphous carbon by metallic Fe, Co and Ni

The reaction of Fe, Co and Ni with amorphous carbon and its catalytic graphitisation at relatively low temperatures (600–700 °C) in vacuo is accompanied by the formation of liquid mobile metal–carbon (M–C) particles; the mechanism by which these particles are formed and maintained in the liquid state is suggested.