Enhanced Fullerene Yield in Plasma-Aerosol Reactor at Cryogenic Boundary Temperature

TL;DR

This paper reports that creating a strong temperature gradient in a plasma-aerosol reactor significantly increases the yield of C60 fullerenes, with implications for improved synthesis methods.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach of using cryogenic boundary temperature to enhance fullerene production in aerosol plasma reactors.

Findings

Enhanced C60 yield due to temperature gradient

Presence of carbon soot as secondary product

UV-spectra confirms increased C60 concentration

Abstract

We demonstrate remarkably enhanced yield of C60 fullerenes in an aerosol discharge chamber due to the additional presence of a strong spatial temperature gradient. The role of the temperature gradients in the increased yield of C60 and fullerene-like structures is discussed. The reaction is not fully reversible and carbon soot matter is formed as a secondary product in the form of carbon aerosol particles. The increasing concentration of C60 was easily recognized from the characteristic UV-spectra. The result of this paper will be useful for improvement of fullerene synthesis technology and for application to constructing new types of aerosol-plasma reactors.