Abstract: A process for producing a nanostructured carbon material including the steps of providing a metal or metalloid carbide substrate and reacting the carbide substrate with a reactive gas to form the nanostructured carbon material, the reactive gas and the carbide substrate being added during the reacting step.

Abstract: A process for producing a nanostructured carbon material including the steps of providing a metal or metalloid carbide substrate and reacting the carbide substrate with a reactive gas to form the nanostructured carbon material, the reactive gas and the carbide substrate being added during the reacting step.

Abstract: An active electrode structure is disclosed that includes fullerenes produced by a carbo-thermal carbide conversion of a conductive carbide without a metal catalyst. Also disclosed is an electrode that includes a fullerene covalently bonded to a conductive carbide, the fullerene being an aligned or non-aligned array. The carbide substrate having a surface coating of covalently bonded fullerenes is characterized in that the peak separation of a cyclic voltammogram for the conductive carbide having a surface layer of the fullerene is less than about 150 mV at a scan rate of 5 mV/s in a 4 mM ferricyanide, 1M KCl solution. The fullerene may include about 50% or less non-crystalline carbon and about 5% or less of a transition metal that interferes with the ability of the active electrode structure to transfer electrons or detect an analyte.

Abstract: An active electrode structure is disclosed that includes fullerenes produced by conversion from a carbide. Also disclosed is an electrode that includes a fullerene covalently bonded to a carbide, the fullerene being an aligned or non-aligned array. The fullerene is included in an active electrode structure of the electrode that also includes about 50% or less non-crystalline carbon and about 5% or less of a transition metal that interferes with the ability of the active electrode structure to transfer electrons or detect an analyte. The active electrode substrate or the electrode may be included in a sensor.