Controlled synthesis of fullerenes and endohedral metallofullerenes in high frequency arc discharge

Abstract

The article presents the high-frequency arc discharge setup operating in helium atmosphere and applicable for the syntheses of carbon condensate with different dispersion and structure, along with fullerenes and endohedral metallofullerenes. It also highlights how the change of helium pressure in chamber can control the amount and composition of products in carbon condensate. The setup can be applied for the purposes of analysis, for instance in order to obtain information about the process of fullerenes and endohedral met-allofullerenes formation. Also, the fact that the yield of higher fullerenes is increasing with the pressure rise, whereas the yield of endohedral metallofullerenes is decreasing suggests different formation mechanisms.