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Mater Sci Nanotechnol 2017 | Volume 1 Issue 2
allied
academies
Nanomaterials and Nanochemistry
November 29-30, 2017 | Atlanta, USA
International Conference on
I
n the last century, nano-structured carbon materials have
attracted considerable attentions due to their multiple
beneficial applications. These carbon nano structures have
been synthesized by different technologies including laser
ablation, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced
chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), etc. Due to operation
in atmospheric pressure and being used for conversion the
abundant low value materials such as solid municipal wastes
to very useful materials, thermal plasma is one of the most
appropriate methods for carbon nano-structured synthesis.
In this study, it has been experimentally demonstrated
the feasibility of producing carbon nano-spheres (CNS)
from common plastic waste material (polypropylene),
using thermal plasma treatment. Samples were treated in
a furnace fitted with a twin dc thermal plasma torch. The
resultant solid products were analyzed to determine their
composition and morphology by EDS and SEM analysis. The
EDS pattern for the samples synthesized at 80 A illustrates
that there are some kinds of impurities in solid products
such as oxygen and aluminum which came from vaporization
of torch’s alumina ceramic nozzle. However, in the pattern
obtained at 100 A, there was just one major carbon peak.
The elevated temperature plasma jet at 100 A arc current can
vaporize all the contamination from sample and processing
region, and separate them from conclusive solid products.
The SEM image for 100 A treatment reveals that the solid
carbon particles are very fine carbon nano-spheres with
about 50 nm diameter. This method for synthesis of carbon
nano-spheres may find a way to be considered in industrial
waste disposal installation, since these advanced products
can be obtained from very non-useful and environmentally
hazardous materials which may enhance the economic
efficiency of plasma waste disposal industry, significantly.
e:
sinamohsenian@yahoo.comSynthesis of carbon nano-spheres by thermal plasma treatment of polypropylene
Sina Mohsenian
University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA