STM: Imaging of gasified carbon structures

Book · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:43266

Tandon, D; Hippo, E J ^[1]

---

1. Southern Illinois Univ. of Carbondale, IL (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Processes

The basic mechanisms of carbon gasification are essential to understanding carbon gasification. It has been shown that more carbon can be gasified with the help of a catalyst that increases the efficiency of the gasification process by at least one order of magnitude. Natural graphites are extensively used as the industrial carbon materials, but their studies have received little attention. Imaging of natural graphites will help in identifying the defects, and edge sites prone to gasification. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and help in providing a better insight for catalytic carbon gasification. The authors have imaged two samples of natural graphites: (1) Ticonderoga graphite from upper New York state, and (2) Ceylon graphite from Sri Lanka. The natural graphites have oxygen complexes on the edge site surfaces (peroxide groups). Interlayer oxygen complexes have also been observed. These oxygen complexes were confirmed by the bond length measurements in the cross-sectional analysis. The extent of oxidation is very high in some places and is very similar to the HOPG oxidized surface. Basal plane attack is found to be higher than previously thought. In Ceylon graphite the authors have found fullerene type giant molecules. These images are essential to STM study of catalytic gasification.

• OSTI ID: 43266
• Report Number(s): CONF-940930--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
COAL GASIFICATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FULLERENES
GRAPHITE
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
OXIDATION
PEROXIDES
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SURFACE PROPERTIES