Synthesis of carbon nano- and microspheres using palm olein as the carbon source

Carbon nano- and microspheres were synthesized using a dual-furnace chemical vapor deposition method at 800–1000 °C. Palm olein (PO) and zinc nitrate solution were used as a carbon source and catalyst precursor, respectively; with a PO to zinc nitrate ratio of 30:20 (v/v). At 800 °C, no regular microspheres were formed, while a more uniform structure was observed at 900 °C and 1000 °C. Generally, the size of the microspheres is temperature-dependent. The carbon spheres are composed of graphite and amorphous carbon phases and the formation of amorphous carbon was found to be the optimum at 850 °C. This study demonstrates a successful method of carbon nano- and microsphere preparation using PO, a renewable bioresource, as the carbon source for the production of carbon spheres with tailor-made properties.

► Palm olein is one of a derivative of palm oil products which is a cheap renewable bioresource.
► It was used as a carbon precursor for the formation of amorphous carbon micro- and nano-spheres for the first time.
► The method is relatively cheap and simple.