Comparative study on isothermal kinetics of fullerol formation under conventional and microwave heating

The kinetic of fullerol formation in the presence of cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a phase transfer catalyst both under conventional and microwave heating conditions was investigated. It was found that the activation energy (Ea) for the investigated processes under microwave heating was two to four times lower than for the same, conventionally heated process. Also, the pre-exponential factor (ln A) was 436–4200 times lower for the microwave heating process. The differences in the kinetic parameters (activation energy and pre-exponential factor) of the process under microwaves can be explained with the specific (non-thermal) activation of centres of the newly formed phase due to the electromagnetic energy absorption.