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Title: Synthesis of carbon spheres/tubes using a mixed-valent oxide-catalytic carbonization process

Conference ·
OSTI ID:571932
;  [1]
  1. Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA (United States). School of Materials Science and Engineering

A mixed-valent oxide-catalytic carbonization (MVOCC) process is described for synthesizing monodispersed carbon spheres (or tubes) in macroscopic quantities at low cost. The technique uses natural gas and reusable catalysts and produces no environmental waste or pollution. The product is controlled to be either all of spheres ({approximately}210 nm) or all of tubes with high purity (> 95%). In spherical form, the product is solid and comprised of layered graphitic flakes containing paired pentagonal-heptagonal carbon-rings. In spiral tube form, the product is composed of twisted graphitic helix layers containing spherical nodes. A growth mechanism has been proposed, in which the pairing of pentagonal and heptagonal carbon-rings plays an important role. It is concluded that a change in fraction and nucleation rates of pentagonal, hexagonal and heptagonal carbon-rings results in the growth of different geometrical shapes. The success of using mixed-valence metal oxides as catalysts has opened a new field in catalysis research and applications.

OSTI ID:
571932
Report Number(s):
CONF-961202-; ISBN 1-55899-358-4; TRN: IM9806%%152
Resource Relation:
Conference: 1996 Fall meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS), Boston, MA (United States), 2-6 Dec 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: Is Part Of Advanced catalytic materials -- 1996; Lednor, P.W. [ed.] [Shell Research and Technology Centre, Amsterdam (Netherlands)]; Ledoux, M.J. [ed.] [Univ. of Strasbourg (France)]; Nagaki, D.A. [ed.] [Union Carbide Corp., South Charleston, WV (United States)]; Thompson, L.T. [ed.] [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)]; PB: 319 p.; Materials Research Society symposium proceedings, Volume 454
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English