  Carbon Nanoflakes (CNFs) with average diameters of about 30 nm have been
prepared and isolated in bulk quantities by a single-step oxidation procedure
using single-wall carbon nanotube arc-discharge material and nitric acid. The
CNFs are predominately single, graphenic sheets containing a small number of
internal defects. The edges are decorated with primarily carboxylic acid groups
which allow facile chemical functionalisation and cross-linking of the
fragments using multivalent cations.
