Effect of Iron Catalyst on the Synthesis of Fullerenes and Carbon Nanotubes in Induction Plasma

Abstract

The continuous synthesis of fullerenes and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in induction plasmas at the 40-kW plate power level has been studied. Kinetics calculations were conducted to predict the conditions for fullerenes formation at the high plasma temperatures. “Carbon black-iron” powder mixtures were used as starting materials. The effects of the carbon−iron molar ratio and the reactant's feeding rates on the yield of fullerenes and CNTs were studied. The experimental results show that the synthesis of fullerenes and CNTs is clearly enhanced by the 4 mol % of Fe, present in the starting mixture, when it is fed at the low rate of about 1 g/min. Under these conditions, high yields of CNTs and C 60 content, equal to 7.4 wt % of the total reaction product collected, were obtained.