Process for the synthesis of fullerenes

A process for the synthesis of fullerenes which comprises:

• a) feeding a plasma forming gas into a reactor and generating a plasma of said plasma forming gas within said reactor in the form of a plasma flame, said plasma forming gas consisting essentially of a gas selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon gas and a mixture of a hydrocarbon gas and an inert gas;
• b) feeding a halogen containing gas into said reactor, said halogen containing gas consisting essentially of a gas selected from the group consisting of a halogen gas, a carbon halide gas, a mixture of a halogen gas and a carbon halide gas, a mixture of a halogen gas and an inert gas, a mixture of a carbon halide gas and an inert gas, and a mixture of a halogen gas, a carbon halide gas and an inert gas,
• c) dissociating said plasma forming gas and said halogen containing gas in said plasma flame into carbon and halogen atoms produced in the form of a cloud;
• and then
• d) allowing substantially all of the carbon atoms in said cloud to recombine and condense as soot on a surface outside of said plasma flame, said soot containing the fullerenes being formed from essentially only the carbon and halogen containing gas.

A process for the synthesis of fullerenes which comprises:

• a) feeding a plasma forming gas consisting essentially of an inert gas into a reactor and generating a plasma of said plasma forming gas within said reactor in the form of a plasma flame;
• b) injecting a carbon and halogen containing gas into said plasma flame, said carbon and halogen containing gas consisting essentially of a gas selected from the group consisting of a carbon halide gas, a mixture of a carbon halide gas and a halogen gas, a mixture of a hydrocarbon gas and a halogen gas, a mixture of a hydrocarbon gas and a carbon halide gas, and a mixture of a hydrocarbon gas, a carbon halide gas and a halogen gas;
• c) dissociating said carbon and halogen containing gas in said plasma flame into carbon and halogen atoms produced in the form of a cloud;
• and then
• d) allowing substantially all of the carbon atoms in said cloud to recombine and condense as soot on a surface outside of said plasma flame, said soot containing the fullerenes being formed from essentially only the carbon and halogen containing gas.