SBIR Phase II: Advanced Fullerene Production

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将开发电子转移方法，用于回收巨大的不溶性富勒烯，其中约一半的富勒烯是由碳氢化合物燃烧路线制成的。 在TDA开发的燃烧过程产生的富勒烯中，并以吨/年规模进行实践，约。20%的原始烟灰重量作为富勒烯（C60、C70等）回收。 该项目显示，另一个CA。15 - 20%的烟灰可以用电子转移方法回收为巨大的富勒烯。第二期计划将进一步研究不溶性富勒烯的化学性质，并开发以二甲苯提取的烟灰为原料的回收技术。我们还将以第一阶段项目期间100倍的规模实施该工艺，每班回收100克不溶性富勒烯，以更好地识别和解决该工艺的化学和工程问题。在第二阶段项目之后，该工艺将安装在一个年产约32吨不溶性富勒烯的工厂。 该项目正在开发的工艺将由富勒烯烟灰生产商商业化，使他们能够有效地将合成工艺的产量提高一倍。 回收的富勒烯将可用于需要更坚固但仍为富勒烯的材料或涂层的应用，例如用于人造生物材料的碳涂层、光学限制器或作为纳米技术装置的支架。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop electron transfer methods for the recovery of the giant, insoluble fullerenes that comprise about half of the fullerenes made by the hydrocarbon combustion route. Of the fullerenes produced by the combustion process developed at TDA, and practiced at the tons/year scale, ca. 20 % of the raw soot weight is recovered as fullerenes (C60, C70, etc.). It was shown in this project that another ca. 15 - 20% of the soot could be recovered as giant fullerenes using electron transfer methods. This Phase II project will further research the chemistry of the insoluble fullerenes and develop the recovery technique using xylene-extracted soot as a feedstock. We will also implement the process at 100 times the scale performed during the Phase I project, to 100g insoluble fullerenes recovered per shift, to better identify and address issues in the chemistry and engineering of the process. Following the Phase II project, the process will be installed at a plant producing ~32 tons/year of insoluble fullerenes. The process being developed in this project will be commercialized by fullerene soot producers, giving them the ability to effectively double the yield of the synthesis process. The recovered fullerenes will be useful for applications demanding a more robust, but still fullerenic material or coating, such as carbon coatings for artificial biomaterials, optical limiters, or as scaffolds for nanotechnological devices.