THE APPLICATION OF NOVEL AND INNOVATIVE PROCESSING FOR THE ECONOMICAL SYNTHESIS OF FULLERENES

THE DEMONSTRATION THAT FULLERENES (BUCKYBALLS) CAN BE PRODUCED FROM A CARBON ARC HAS SPECTACULARLY OPENED A COMPLETELY NEW FIELD OF CARBON SCIENCE WHICH HAS POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN ALL SCIENTIFIC FIELDS OF CHEMISTRY, ELECTRONICS, PHYSICS, AND MEDICINE. HOWEVER, THE CONTINUED RESEARCH IN FULLERENES AND COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS IS LIMITED BY ITS EXTRAORDINARY HIGH COST OF SEVERAL TIMES THAT OF GOLD AND NO GENUINE PROJECTION OF LOWER COST. ADVANCED CONCEPTS OF UTILIZING LOW-COST CARBON PRECURSORS SUCH AS NATURAL GASES, PETROLEUM BYPRODUCTS, OR BIOMASS FOR GENERATING VAPORS OF CARBON ATOMS WHICH ARE UNIQUELY ANNEALED TO PRODUCE FULLERENE STRUCTURES IN CONTROLLED MOLECULAR WEIGHT FRACTIONS FROM ALL THE VAPORIZED CARBON HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE FULLERENES AT A COST COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER HIGH VALUE ADDED CARBON MATERIALS. THE CARBON VAPORIZATION CONFIGURATION AND QUENCHING OF THE CARBON ATOMS TO PRODUCE FULLERENES EFFICIENTLY AND ECONOMICALLY IS BEING DEMONSTRATED AND INTEGRATED INTO THE CURRENT COMMERCIAL SUPPLY OPERATIONS TO BOLSTER FULLERENE RESEARCH AND COMMERCIALIZATION IMMEDIATELY.