Effect of SF6 addition in the laser synthesis of fullerene and soot from C6H6/O2 or C6H6/N2O sensitized mixtures Original Research Article

The effects of SF6 relative concentration on fullerene and soot formation in the CO2 laser synthesis from benzene/oxygen and benzene/nitrous oxide sensitized mixtures are reported. Infrared (IR) measurements of exhaust gases and of solid products allowed for identification of fluorinated compounds which were indicative for the partial SF6 decomposition. The production of C60 and C70 was determined by HPLC. It is found that an optimum temperature range exists for fullerene formation. The influence of SF6 dissociation is studied. The formation of fullerene as a function of two different oxidant agents (O2 or N2O) has also been studied. Preliminary results show a higher production of fullerenes in C6H6/N2O as compared to similar C6H6/O2 mixtures. From the experimental results, it seems that the synthesis of fullerene by laser pyrolysis is comparable to flame experiments.