Numerical simulation of carbon arc discharge for nanoparticle synthesis

Arc discharge with catalyst-filled carbon anode in helium background was used for the synthesis of carbon nanoparticles. In this paper, we present the results of numerical simulation of carbon arc discharges with arc current varying from 10 A to 100 A in a background gas pressure of 68 kPa. Anode sublimation rate and current voltage characteristics are compared with experiments. Distribution of temperature and species density, which is important for the estimation of the growth of nanoparticles, is obtained. The probable location of nanoparticle growth region is identified based on the temperature range for the formation of catalyst clusters. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4737153]