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CNₗ films were found to have a distorted graphitelike microstructure consisting of buckled and curved basal planes using high-resolution electron microscopy. Nanoindentation showed an elastic recovery of 85%, and a hardness of 60 GPa. Based on detailed quantum chemical calculations and photoelectron spectroscopy, the observed structure is proposed to consist of a network of buckled sp^2-hybridized CNₗ planes, cross-linked by sp^3-hybridized bonds. The buckling is shown to be due to the incorporation of pentagons in the basal planes, giving rise to a fullerenelike microstructure.
Sjöström et al. (Mon,) studied this question.