Preparation of Carbon Micro-beads via an Ethanol-thermal Route
Carbon micro-beads (CMB) with regular and perfect shape, high yields, and narrow size distributions were obtained via an ethanol-thermal reduction process in a stainless steel autoclave at 500°C. In this process, LaNi 5 alloy was used as a catalyst. The products were characterized with X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. There were two types of carbon micro-beads, spherical and spindle-like, in the sample. The spherical micro-beads have diameters ranging from 2 to 5 μm. The spindle-like micro-beads had diameters ranging from 2 to 4 μm and lengths ranging from 5 to 10 μm.