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Plasma Deposition and Nanotechnology

2:00 pm – 4:30 pm, Wednesday October 15 Session EW4 COEX, Room E2-E3
Chair:
Igor Kaganovich, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)
Topics:
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Methane Decomposition to Hydrogen and Carbon Nanotubes in an Innovative Arc Reactor with Molten Electrodes

2:15 pm – 2:30 pm
Presenter: Yevgeny Raitses (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL))
Authors: Stanislav Musikhin (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)), Valerian Nemchinsky (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory), Hengfei Gu (Princeton University), Bruce Koel (Princeton University)

Plasma decomposition of natural gas is a promising approach to generate hydrogen gas (H2) and a high value solid form of carbon with no CO2 emissions. For example, in the presence of catalysts immersed in the flowing plasma, it has been shown that carbon from methane is transformed into carbon nanotubes (CNTs). In our research, we explored the scientific principles underlying CNT synthesis from methane (CH4) and its gas mixtures in an innovative plasma arc with molten electrodes.1,2 Some results of this research will be presented. Specifically, we will compare this new arc synthesis approach with a more traditional synthesis of CNT in carbon arcs (e.g., Ref. 3).

References

 1 S. Musikhin, V. Nemchinsky, and Y. Raitses, "Growth of metal nanoparticles in hydrocarbon atmosphere of arc discharge", Nanotechnology. 35, 385601 (2024)

2 V. Nemchinsky, S. Musikhin, and Y. Raitses, " Simulation of metal nanoparticles growth in methane atmosphere of arc discharge: Comparison to experiment", J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 58, 085207 (2025)

3 M. Keidar, A. Shashurin, O. Volotskova, Y. Raitses, and I. I. Beilis, "Mechanism of carbon nanostructure synthesis in arc plasma", Carbon 17,057101 (2010)

Funding acknowledgement

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

PRESENTATIONS (9)