Synthesis of carbon nanostructures in an RF induction plasmatron

Abstract

The method and results of synthesizing carbon nanotubes and onion-like structures by the sublimation of a mixture of a carbon powder with a catalyst (Y2(CO3)3) in the plasma flow of an inert gas (argon) generated in an rf plasmatron are described. Carbon vapors are condensed into fullerene-containing soot onto various materials (Al, Cu, Ti, stainless steel) placed in the working chamber of an experimental setup. The composition of the synthesized soot is analyzed by modern highly informative methods (Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction). Single-wall carbon nanotubes of a small diameter (1.2 nm) and onion-like structures 10–20 nm in size are formed in experiments. In a reference experiment on a mixture of argon and methane, a material, which consists of a mixture of amorphous carbon, nanosized graphite, and graphite with a crystallite size of several microns, is synthesized. The effect of the substrate material, the gas pressure, and the plasma flow velocity on the formation of carbon nanotubes is studied.