Morphological and structural features of materials formed in carbon plasma of arc discharge

The method of electric arc synthesis is used to obtain nanoparticles encapsulated in a carbon matrix. The properties of the entire material depend on the properties of the carbon matrix. In this paper, the structural characteristics of a carbon material synthesized at various arc discharge parameters are investigated. It is established that in the arc discharge a material containing amorphous and graphite-like carbon structures is synthesized, including in the form of graphene fragments folded into stacks, twisted into rolls and in the form of closed forms. Interplanar distances in graphite-like structures and interatomic distances in amorphous structures are determined. It is established that the pressure of the buffer gas determines the size of the soot globules and the volume fractions of graphite-like and amorphous structures, and the current strength affects the internal structure and determines the size of graphene planes in graphite-like structures.