Characterization of Carbon Plasma Evolution Using Laser Ablation TOF Mass Spectrometry

In this work, a time-of-flight （TOF） mass spectrometer has been used to investigate the distribution of intermediate species and formation process of carbon clusters. The graphite sample was ablated by Nd：YAG laser （532 nm and 1064 nm）. The results indicate that the maximum size distribution shifted towards small cluster ions as the laser fluence increased, which happened because of the fragmentation of larger clusters in the hot plume. The temporal evolution of ions was measured by varying the delay time of the ion extraction pulse with respect to the laser irradiation, which was used to provide distribution information of the species in the ablated plasma plume. When the laser fluence decreased, the yield of all of the clusters obviously dropped.

THE IMPROVEMENT OF ELECTRON FIELD EMISSION FROM AMORPHOUS CARBON FILMS DUE TO HYDROGEN PLASMA CHEMICAL ANNEALING EFFECT

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon films were fabricated by using layer-by-layer deposition method and hydrogen dilution method in a small d.c.-assisted plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. It was found that the hydrogen plasma treatment could change the sp2/sp3 ratio to some extent by chemical etching. The improvements of field emission characteristics were observed compared with that from conventionally deposited a-C films, which can be attributed to the large field enhancement effect due to the inhomogeneous distribution of nanometer scale sp2 clusters and the reduction of the surface emission barrier due to the hydrogen termination.

STUDY ON THE SURFACE MODIFICATION OF NANOMETER CARBON PARTICLES IN ATMOSPHERIC PLASMA

The surface modification of nanometer carbon material has been studied by using an Induced Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma device (IDBD). The experimental results show that with different work gases and different discharge conditions, the surface behaviors of carbon black can be changed according to needs, including the use of different functional groups and the change of the surface roughness of carbon particles etc., which increased the grinding and dispersion abilities in binder.

Influence of plasma condition on carbon nanotube growth by rf-PECVD

Carbon nanotubes(CNTs)have been synthesized from Ar-CH_4 mixtures using rf-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(rf-PECVD)at 500oC.Reduction gases such as H_2 and NH_3 were found unnecessary for carbon nanotube formation compared to thermal CVD.The relationship between the growth of CNTs and the plasma condition in PECVD has been investigated by in situ self bias measurement.Plasma conditions were controlled by changing the interelectrode distance,rf power and the applied substrate negative bias.By increasing the interelectrode distance and rf power,the spatial density of CNTs was on a rise as a result of the increase in ions density and self bias.As the applied substrate negative bias increased,the spatial density of CNTs decreased possibly due to the positive ions over bombarding effect.

Preparation of multi-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced TiNi matrix composites from elemental powders by spark plasma sintering

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced TiNi matrix composites were synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) employing elemental powders.The phase structure,morphology and transformation behaviors were studied.It was found that thermoelastic martensitic transformation be-haviors could be observed from the samples sintered above 800 ℃ even with a short sintering time (5min),and the transformation tempera-tures gradually increased with increasing sintering temperature because of more Ti-rich TiNi phase formation.Although decreasing the sin-tering temperature and time to 700 ℃ and 5min could not protect defective MWCNTs from reacting with Ti,still-perfect MWCNTs re-mained in the specimens sintered at 900 ℃.This method is expected to supply a basis for preparing CNT-reinforced TiNi composites.

A New Grade Carbon Black Produced by Thermal Plasma Process

This paper presents a new route about producing carbon black, by which the natural gas cracking is carried out in the absence of oxygen thanks to an electric energy supply externally given by a plasma jet. The carbon black produced by this process has a narrow size distribution and a small average diameter of 38 nm as well as a highly branched aggregate. The higher DBP value of 1.40 ml/g shows it should be a high structure carbon black. The FTIR spectra shows that there are lots of aromatic c-c bonds and a large amount of nitrogen-containing functional groups on the carbon blacks surface, such as -NH, -CN as well as -CH, -OH, -COOH groups.

Effects of Atmospheric DBD Plasma Treatment on the Surface Properties of PAN-Based Carbon Fiber

Plasma treatment has been known as an effective way to improve the surface bonding between the reinforcement material and the matrix, by modifying the surface morphology and the chemical composes of the material. In order to investigate the effects of atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment on the surface properties of polyacrylonitrile-based (PAN-based) carbon fiber, atomic force microscope(AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), and contact angle test were introduced to compare different treatment duration. The interfacial adhesion of carbon fiber/epoxy (CF/EP) composites were analyzed by a single fiber composite (SFC) for filament fragmentation test. And the tensile strength test and Weibull analysis were carried out to observe whether the etching could affect the strength. The results prove that the DBD plasma improves the surface properties of the carbon fiber. Further, when the treatment time was around 90 s, the roughness and oxygen containing group of the carbon fiber reached the peak values. Also, the fiber showed the best adhesion to the polymer in contact angle test and the optimum interfacial shear strength (IFSS) in fragmentation test. The Weibull analyses of the tensile data revealed no substantial changes in the tensile strength within the treatment time of 180 s.

Influence of Microwave Power on the Properties of Hydrogenated Diamond-Like Carbon Films Prepared by ECR Plasma Enhanced DC Magnetron Sputtering

Electron cyclotron resonance （ECR） plasma was applied to enhance the direct current magnetron sputtering to prepare hydrogenated diamond-like carbon （H-DLC） films. For different microwave powers, both argon and hydrogen gas are introduced separately as the ECR working gas to investigate the influence of microwave power on the microstructure and electrical property of the H-DLC films deposited on P-type silicon substrates. A series of characterization methods including the Raman spectrum and atomic force microscopy are used. Results show that, within a certain range, the increase in microwave power affects the properties of the thin films, namely the sp3 ratio, the hardness, the nanoparticle size and the resistivity all increase while the roughness decreases with the increase in microwave power. The maximum of resistivity amounts to 1.1×10^9 Ω.cm. At the same time it is found that the influence of microwave power on the properties of H-DLC films is more pronounced when argon gas is applied as the ECR working gas, compared to hydrogen gas.

The effects of a static magnetic field on the microwave absorption of hydrogen plasma in carbon nanotubes: a numerical study

We theoretically investigate the microwave absorption properties of hydrogen plasma in iron-catalyzed high- pressure disproportionation-grown carbon nanotubes under an external static magnetic field in the frequency range 0.3 GHz to 30 GHz, using the Maxwell equations in conjunction with a general expression for the effective complex permittivity of magnetized plasma known as the Appleton Hartree formula. The effects of the external static magnetic field intensity and the incident microwave propagation direction on the microwave absorption of hydrogen plasma in CNTs are studied in detail. The numerical results indicate that the microwave absorption properties of hydrogen plasma in iron-catalyzed high-pressure disproportionation-grown carbon nanotubes can be obviously improved when the exter- nal static magnetic field is applied to the material. It is found that the specified frequency microwave can be strongly absorbed by the hydrogen plasma in iron-catalyzed high-pressure disproportionation-grown carbon nanotubes over a wide range of incidence angles by adjusting the external magnetic field intensity and the parameters of the hydrogen plasma.

Characterization of Carbon Deposits Formed During Plasma Pyrolysis of Xinjiang Candle Coal

Carbon deposits were formed on the reactor wall during plasma pyrolysis of the Xinjiang candle coal in our V-style plasma pyrolysis pilot-plant. The carbon deposits were studied using a scanning electronic microscope （SEM） and the X-ray diffraction （XRD） method. It was found that carbon deposits located at different parts in the reactor exhibited different microscopic patterns. The formation mechanism of the carbon deposits was deduced. The downward increase in the graphitization degree of the carbon deposits was found and interpreted.

Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane to Syngas by Thermal Plasma

Experiments were conducted on syngas preparation from dry reforming of methane by carbon dioxide with a DC arc plasma at atmospheric pressure. In all experiments, nitrogen gas was used as the working gas for thermal plasma to generate a high-temperature jet into a horizontal tube reactor. A mixture of methane and carbon dioxide was fed vertically into the jet. In order to obtain a higher conversion rate of methane and carbon dioxide, chemical energy efficiency and fuel production efficiency, parametric screening studies were conducted, in which the volume ratio of carbon dioxide to methane in fed gases and the total flux of fed gases were taken into account. Results showed that carbon dioxide reforming of methane to syngas by thermal plasma exhibited a larger processing capacity, higher conversion of methane and carbon dioxide and higher chemical energy efficiency and fuel production efficiency. In addition, thermodynamic simulation for the reforming process was conducted. Experimental data agreed well with the thermodynamic results, indicating that high thermal efficiency can be achieved with the thermal plasma reforming process.

Effect of La_2O_3/γAl_2O_3 Catalyst on the Activation of CH_4 and CO_2 to C_02 Hydrocarbons under Non-equilibrium Plasma

In the reaction of methane and carbon dioxide to C2 hydrocarbons under non-equilibrium plasma, methane conversion was decreased, but selectivity of C2 hydrocarbons was increased when using La2O3/?Al2O3 as catalyst. So the yield of C2 hydrocarbons was higher than using plasma alone. The synergism of La2O3/?Al2O3 and plasma gave methane conversion of 24.9% and C2 yield of 18.1%. The distribution of C2 hydrocarbons changed when Pd- La2O3/?Al2O3 was used as catalyst, the major C2 product was ethylene.

Effects of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Treatment on Pentachlorophenol Removal of Granular Activated Carbon

The pentachlorophenol （PCP） adsorbed granular activated carbon （GAC） was treated by dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） plasma. The effects of DBD plasma on the structure of GAC and PCP decomposition were analyzed by N2 adsorption, thermogravimetric, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and gas chromatographymass spectrometry （GC-MS）. The experimental data of adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics of PCP on GAC were fitted with different kinetics and isotherm models, respectively. The results indicate that the types of N2 adsorption isotherm of GAC are not changed by DBD plasma, while the specific surface area and pore volume increase after DBD plasma treatment. It is found that the weight loss of the saturated GAC is the highest, on the contrary, the weight loss of DBD treated GAC is the least because of reduced PCP residue on the GAC. The XPS spectra and SEM image suggest that some PCP on the GAC is removed by DBD plasma, and the surface of GAC treated by DBD plasma presents irregular and heterogeneous morphology. The GC-MS identification of by-products shows that two main dechlorination intermediate products, tetrachlorophenol and trichlorophenol, are distinguished. The fitting results of experimental data of adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics indicate that the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second order models can be used for the prediction of the kinetics of virgin GAC and DBD treated GAC for PCP adsorption, and the Langmuir isotherm model fits better with the data of adsorption isotherm than the Freundlich isotherm in the adsorption of PCP on virgin GAC and DBD treated GAC.

Novel Method for Preparing a Carbon Nanotube-Supported Cobalt Catalyst for Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis:Hydrogen Dielectric-Barrier Discharge Plasma

Hydrogen dielectric-barrier discharge(H_2-DBD)plasma was successfully used to prepare carbon nanotubes(CNTs)-supported cobalt(Co) catalyst.The H_2-DBD plasma treatment simultaneously decomposed and reduced the cobalt precursor at a lower temperature and in a shorter time than the conventional method(calcination and hydrogen reduction).It is considered that the H_2-DBD plasma method can remarkably decrease the amount of energy input compared to traditional methods used to prepare the Co-based catalyst in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis(FTS).Results showed that the Co catalyst prepared by H_2-DBD plasma had an equivalent catalytic performance for FTS as that prepared using the conventional method in calcination and hydrogen reduction,thereby determining that H_2-DBD plasma was an effective alternative treatment for preparing the Co/CNTs catalyst for FTS.This technology will provide a new strategy for preparing catalysts in other catalysis processes.

Plasma Modification of Activated Carbon Fibers for Adsorption of SO_2

Viscose-based activated carbon fibers （VACFs） were treated by a dielectric-barrier discharge plasma under the feed gas of N2. The surface functional groups of VACFs were modified to improve the adsorption and catalysis capacity for SO2. The surface properties of the untreated and plasma-treated VACFs were diagnosed by SEM, BET, FTIR, and XPS, and the adsorption capacities of VACFs for SO2 were also compared and discussed. The results show that after the plasma treatment, the external surface of VACFs was etched and became rougher, while the surface area and the total pore volume decreased. FTIR and XPS revealed that nitrogen atoms were introduced onto the VACFs surface and the distribution of functional groups on the VACFs surface was changed remarkably. The adsorption characteristic of SO2 indicates that the plasmatreated VACFs have better adsorption capacity than the original VACFs due to the nitrogen functional groups and new functional groups formed in modification, which is beneficial to the adsorption of SO2.

Electric-Arc Plasma Installation for Preparing Nanodispersed Carbon Structures

An electric-arc plasma installation operated in the hidden anode arrangement is constructed and used for the preparation of carbon nanostructures. A contracted plasma arc generated by a plasma torch using an inert gas is used as heat source. The average mass temperature of arc is higher than 10^4 K, while its power density, which is directly transferred onto the electrode （anode）, is - 2 kW/mm^2. The anode contact area formed on the electrode moves against the arc by way of shifting the electrode and is hidden completely in the interior of plasma gas stream moving towards it. As a result of both the direct plasma attack and the opposite movement of streams in the hidden anode contact area, a temperature higher than 6000 K is reached. Thus, intensive vaporization takes place, which forms a saturated plasma-gas-aerosol phase of the initial material of electrode （anode）. This gas phase is mixed in and carried by the plasma stream. Over that mixed plasma stream, a controlled process of quenching （fixation） is carried out by twisted turbulent fluid streams. After the fixation, the resultant carbon nano-structures are caught by a filter and collected in a bunker.

Electron field emission characteristics of nano-catkin carbon films deposited by electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition

This paper reported that the nano-catkin carbon films were prepared on Si substrates by means of electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition in a hydrogen and methane mixture. The surface morphology and the structure of the fabricated films were characterized by using scanning electron microscopes and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The stable field emission properties with a low threshold field of 5V/μm corresponding to a current density of about 1μA/cm^2 and a current density of 3.2mA/cm^2 at an electric field of 10V/μm were obtained from the carbon film deposited at CH4 concentration of 8%. The mechanism that the threshold field decreased with the increase of the CH4 concentration and the high emission current appeared at the high CH4 concentration was explained by using the Fowler-Nordheim theory.

PREPARATION OF IODINE-INCLUDED CARBON USING RF PLASMA CVD

For the aim of synthesis of the carbon-iodine compound, the preparation of iodin e-included carbon using RF plasma CVD was studied. Iodine-included carbon was sy nthesized on Si substrate using ICP type RF plasma CVD apparatus. C2H5OH and I2 dissolved C2H5OH was used as reactant gases. As a result, surface morphologies o f Iodine included carbon films showed flat surfaces for each samples. On the str ucture of films estimated by Raman spectroscopy, amorphous carbon was recognized . And I2 peaks were observed in XPS spectra. As a result of friction test, frict ion coefficient of the sample growth with C2H5OH showed about 0.45. On the other hand, that of the sample with I2-C2H5OH showed about 0.3 and decrease of fricti on coefficient was recognized. Iodine inclusion for carbon materials can be achi eved by RF plasma CVD using an I2-C2H5OH reactant. The coefficient of iodine-inc luded carbon showed lower than of without iodine

KINETICS OF CARBON COMBUSTION IN PLASMA AIR

A new equipment and method for measuring the kinetics of carbon combustion in plasma air have been designed. The activation energies of graphite combustion in this condition have been given: E_1=74.780 kJ / mol (900-1560 K) E_2=44.720 kJ / mol (1560-2100 K)

Plasma Activation of Integrated Carbon Nanotube Electrodes for Electrochemical Detection of Catechol

In this study, integrated multi-wall carbon nanotube （MWCNT） electrodes were prepared in the holes of glass directly by microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition （MWPCVD）. The electrochemical behaviour of catechol at the integrated MWCNT electrodes was investigated. The oxygen plasma treated CNT electrodes had better electrochemical performance for the analysis of catechol than that of as-synthesized CNT electrodes. Both the as-synthesized CNTs and plasma treated CNTs were characterized by TEM（transmission electron microscopy, XPS（X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy） and Raman spectroscopy. The results revealed that the oxygen plasma activation is an effective method to enhance the electrochemical properties of CNT electrodes.