A study on the deposition of pyrolytic carbons from hydrocarbons

Abstract

A new method for forming isotropic, laminar, and columnar pyrolytic carbons is proposed. For this, a low RPM (below 2.4 rpm) tumbling bed has been used to deposit pyrolytic carbons from hydrocarbon gases. All deposits were made on graphite substrates from propane and methane at a constant temperature of 1200°C. The microstructures of the pyrolytic carbons deposited were dependent on the flow pattern of the reactant gas, the rpm of the reactor, the hydrocarbon concentration, the nature of the hydrocarbon, and the geometry of the bed. Isotropic pyrolytic carbon is formed under deposition conditions where homogeneous nucleation occurs in the gas phase and at the gas flow conditions where the gas-borne droplets can collide on the substrate. Laminar carbon is formed under deposition conditions where homogeneous nucleation does not occur in the gas phase and at gas flow conditions where the carbon species existing in the bulk of the gas phase can collide on the substrate. Columnar carbon is formed when any carbon products existing in the bulk of the gas phase cannot collide on the substrate. The suggested deposition mechanism can also be applied to pyrolytic carbons deposited in a fluidized bed or in a stationary bed. In particular, isotropic carbon can be obtained even in a stationary bed if the requirements for the deposition of the isotropic carbon described above are satisfied.