Synthesis of condensed phases containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons fullerenes and nanotubes

#This invention relates generally to methods for the synthesis of carbon-containing compounds and materials such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fullerenes, and nanotubes.

#Kroto et.al. (Nature, Vol 318(#14), pg162-163, 1985) discovered that laser vaporization of carbon into flowing helium gas results in formation of a new form of carbon, a compound having the composition C60. The new C60 molecule was named “Buckminsterfullerene”, or “Buckyball” in honor of its almost spheroidal shape, and is a closed truncated icosohedron of carbon atoms, formed from fused five and six-membered aromatic rings.

#Subsequent research (see for example Kroto et.al, Nature, Vol 331(#28), pg 328-331, 1988) showed that a much larger family of hollow carbon-cage cluster species generically termed “fullerenes” can be generated from carbon-containing substrates. Large closed-cage fullerenes of formulas including C70, C120, C130, C140, C180, and C240 are believed to exist. Other fullerenes with open (i.e. not closed) carbon cages also exist. U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,684 to Withers et.al. is an example of a method and apparatus for producing fullerenes. Other workers have reported formation of fullerenes from vapor phase pyrolysis of napthalene at temperatures of about 1000° C. (see Taylor et.al., Nature, Vol 366(#23), pg 728-731,1993).

#FIG. 1 shows chemical drawings of the structures of various exemplary hydrocarbons, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

#FIG. 2 shows a drawing of the main features of the apparatus used in Example 1 for collecting and analyzing materials from a flame.

#FIG. 3 shows the aerodynamic particle size distribution of 2000 particles collected from an acetylene flame, as described in Example 1.

#The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention and the Examples included therein and to the Figures and their previous and following description.

#Before the present compounds, compositions and methods are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to specific synthetic methods, which may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.

#Nevertheless, in this specification and in the claims which follow, reference will be made to a number of terms which shall be defined to have the following meanings for the purposes of this invention: