Production of Fullerenes by Low Temperature Plasma Chemical Vaper Deposition under Atmospheric Pressure

Abstract
A gas phase reactor developed for generating homogenous low temperature plasma under atmospheric pressure was found to provide a new method for producing fullerenes by a plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Into an afterglow region of atmospheric pressure Ar–He mixed gas plasma, an aromatic hydrocarbon was introduced and decomposed into black soot under appropriate reaction conditions. A benzene solution of the soot showed two clear HPLC peaks with retention times corresponding well to those of C60 and C70. The formation of C60 was further confirmed by UV spectroscopy.