The Influence of Ir and Pt Addition on the Synthesis of Fullerenes at Atmospheric Pressure

Abstract

The addition of metallic Ir and Pt to a fullerene‐forming, atmospheric‐pressure plasma reactor was found to influence the generation of carbonaceous products. It was observed that the added metals were efficiently dispersed into the plasma and that their presence increased the yield of fullerenes. The addition of Ir led to a noticeable shift in the fullerene distribution towards C60, whereas the addition of Pt increased the proportion of C60 oxides and decreased the proportion of higher fullerenes. Addition of Ir also caused a reduction of the soot particle size and the formation of a considerable quantity of carbon nanotubes.