High Temperature CO2 Plasma Cell Design and Experimentation for Graphene Synthesis Applications

Abstract

As CO2 levels in the atmosphere rise, promising new methods of carbon sequestration in the form of chemical synthesis are emerging. Plasma has been proven to lower reaction energy of fuel reduction, a concept that could be employed for CO2 graphene synthesis with an Alkali metal catalyst. This paper explores the design and manufacture of a Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) cell to produce plasma at conditions conducive for the graphene synthesis reaction. Experimentation found that plasma was able to be produced at the proper conditions (200 torr, 100 ◦C, in the presence of CO2), and that increasing Ar concentration imparts beneficial effects on the plasma quality and ease of formation. Additionally, the higher temperature also proved to increase plasma volume and may increase the dissociation of species in the CO2 gas. Finally, the cell design was able to accomplish other goals, including low pressure maintenance and heat resistance. This experimentation provides the basis for future high temperature CO2 plasma research, as well as validates the ability of plasma to form in conditions necessary for graphene synthesis. In the future, experimentation with alkali metals placed in the plasma field with CO2 can be attempted to validate the theory of a plasma-induced graphene synthesis reaction.