A novel extraction method for fullerenes over C90 in large quantities using hydrothermal treatment

In this paper, a novel method called Hydrothermally Initiated Dynamic Extraction (HIDE) is proposed for the extraction of fullerenes over C90. In this method, the soot is hydrothermally treated prior to the extraction by organic solvent. The HIDE treatment provides comminution in a microscopic scale as a result of collision between the soot particles and the water molecules and initiates weakening and breaking of the bonds between the fullerenes and the soot. The fullerenes thus freed from the soot are extracted easily in the toluene Soxhlet extraction. The merits of the HIDE method are that water neither dissolves fullerenes nor produces any by-products and the extraction efficiency of fullerenes over C90 is greatly increased compared with the conventional method.