Production of Fullerenes by Low Temperature Plasma Chemical Vaper Deposition under Atmospheric Pressure

A gas phase reactor developed for generating homogenous low temperature plasma under atmospheric pressure was found to provide a new method for producing fullerenes by a plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Into an afterglow region of atmospheric pressure Ar–He mixed gas plasma, an aromatic hydrocarbon was introduced and decomposed into black soot under appropriate reaction conditions. A benzene solution of the soot showed two clear HPLC peaks with retention times corresponding well to those of C 60 and C 70 . The formation of C 60 was further confirmed by UV spectroscopy.