A non-thermal plasma process for the gas phase synthesis of carbon nanoparticles

Plasma processes, mostly involving so-called “thermal” plasmas, have been exploited in many instances for the gas phase synthesis of carbon nanoparticles such as carbon black, fullerenes or carbon nanotubes. A non-thermal plasma process, based on low current–high voltage discharges, has been developed for the gas phase synthesis of carbon nanoparticles at atmospheric pressure. This process can produce a broad range of products such as furnace-type carbon blacks, acetylene-type carbon blacks, and nanoparticles with a peculiar morphology that we call “crumpled paper sheets”. The products were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and BET measurements. Some correlations between the operating conditions and the characteristics of carbon nanostructures highlight temperature as a key parameter for controlling the growth, formation, and type of the nanoparticles obtained.