“Cold” synthesis of carbon from polyvinyl chloride with the use of an electron beam ejected into the atmosphere

• Published in: Technical physics letters Vol. 42; no. 10; pp. 981 - 984
• Main Authors: Kryazhev, Yu. G., Vorob’ev, M. S., Koval’, N. N., Trenikhin, M. V., Solodovnichenko, V. S., Sulakshin, S. A., Likholobov, V. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.10.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Admixtures; Amorphous materials; Carbon; Chemical industry; Chlorine; Classical and Continuum Physics; Ejection; Electron energy; Electrons; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Polyvinyl chloride
• DOI: 10.1134/S1063785016100102
• ISSN: 1063-7850

This work shows the possibility in principle of forming hydrocarbon structures in polyvinyl chloride films free of admixtures and polyvinyl chloride films modified with 5-mass % ferrocene via a radiation chemical transformation in the atmosphere with the use of an electron accelerator with a plasma cathode operating in the pulsed-periodic mode maximal electron energy no higher than 160 keV, pulse length of 40 μs, and current density of 5 mA/cm 2 . According to the results of semiquantitative X-ray microanalysis, an irradiated polyvinyl chloride film free of admixtures contains 92 of carbon, 6 of oxygen, and 2 mass % of chlorine; the irradiated polyvinyl chloride is an amorphous carbon material. A possible mechanism of the phenomenon is discussed.