METHOD OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION OF FULLERENES Russian patent published in 1997 - IPC

FIELD: carbon products. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to producing new materials for electronics, medicine, and mechanical engineering. Solid carbon- containing stock is pressed from graphite powder, carbon black, and previous stock remains. Stock is heat dried in fullerene-synthesis vacuum chamber. Shape of stock provides formation of counter-directed or crossing streams of carbon clusters. Dried stock is heated to 4300 ± 100 C by resistive, induction magnetron technique or alternate current with frequency 8-40 kHz in vacuum or argon atmosphere. Simultaneously, stock surface is heated with electric arc discharge. Local heating spot is moved across stock surface using rotation (at vacuum heating) or using annular magnetron (in argon atmosphere). Local heating temperature and velocity of spot displacement is chosen from condition of isothermal graphite layer destruction. As synthesis proceeds, formed fullerenes are separated from carbon black by way of evaporating fullerenes from carbon black collectors when heating to 700-900 C. Fullerenes are separated into fractions simultaneously with synthesis on collectors heated to form temperature gradient 400- 480 C. EFFECT: no waste produced. 11 cl, 4 dwg