Generation of fullerenes and metal-carbon clusters in a pulsed arc cluster ion source (PACIS)

By combining a pulsed are cluster ion source with a reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer, we have produced and detected in situ fullerene cations as well as vanadium-carbon cluster cations. The cluster arrival time distributions favor the `'fullerene road'' mechanism for fullerene growth. The formation of fullerene cations was found to be strongly dependent on the discharge and nozzle conditions. Fullerene C-60(+)/C-70(+) were preferentially produced by optimizing these conditions. Vanadium-carbon cluster cations were produced and detected by using a composite electrode (V2O5/graphite). While the metallocarbohedrene V8C12+ could be produced with a reasonable it intensity, it was not dominant under our experimental conditions. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics. these conditions.