Influence of the precursor on fullerene synthesis in a RF thermal plasma reactor

Abstract

Several graphite powders and mixtures (4827 Asbury Mills, KS4 and KS6 Timcal, flake Alfa Aesar, graphite Aldrich, mixture of iron and KS4 powder) having different mean particle size were processed in a RF thermal plasma reactor at atmospheric pressure. It was found that the mean particle size of the precursors has an important, but not exclusive effect on the evaporation efficiency. The micro-structural orderliness of the precursors, which determines their thermal conductivity, is another important property that should be considered in the interpretation of the observed phenomena. In this study a mixture of iron and KS4 graphite proved to be the best precursor of fullerene synthesis. The maximum fullerene yield was 18.4%, which was higher compared to pure graphite powder processing in a RF reactor without the presence of iron.