Self-organisation Processes In The Carbon ARC For Nanosynthis
Authors: Jonathan Ng and Y. Raitses
Abstract: The atmospheric pressure carbon arc in inert gases such as helium is an important method for the
production of nanomaterials. It has recently been shown that the formation of the carbon deposit
on the cathode from gaseous carbon plays a crucial role in the operation of the arc, reaching the
high temperatures necessary for thermionic emission to take place even with low melting point
cathodes. Based on observed ablation and deposition rates, we explore the implications of deposit
formation on the energy balance at the cathode surface, and show how the operation of the arc is
self-organised process. Our results suggest that the can arc operate in two di erent regimes, one of
which has an important contribution from latent heat to the cathode energy balance. This regime
is characterised by the enhanced ablation rate, which may be favourable for high yield synthesis
of nanomaterials. The second regime has a small and approximately constant ablation rate with a
negligible contribution from latent heat.
__________________________________________________
Published in: J. Appl. Phys. 117, 063303 (2015)
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4906784
__________________________________________________
Download PPPL-5001 (pdf 817 KB 7pp)
__________________________________________________