Carbon neutral growth

Figure 2 illustrates a proposed growth process[3] of a polyhedral nanoparticle, along with a nanotube. First, carbon neutrals (C and C2) and ions (C )[16] deposit, and then coagulate with each other to form small clusters on the surface of the cathode. Through an accretion of carbon atoms and coalescence between clusters, clusters grow up to particles with the size fi-... 

Fukuzawa, K. Osamura, Y. Schaefer III, H.F. Are neutral-neutral reactions effective for the carbon-chain growth of cyanopolyynes and polyacetylenes in interstellar space Astrophys. J. 1998, 505. 278-285. 

A positive carbon balance, or at least carbon neutrality, is by all means a goal to be pursued. However, carbon neutrality (ie, the carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere during the combustion is theoretically offset by carbon fixed during the feedstock growth) cannot be concretely achieved, because there are additional emissions of... 

In the simple steady-state model of Thaddeus,117 bare carbon cluster seed molecules with 12 carbon atoms are used with reaction 28 to produce large linear carbon clusters with sizeable abundances since it is assumed that the C +l ions produced in reaction 28 do not dissociate when they recombine with electrons if n >12. Rather, neutral Cn+1 clusters are formed which either photodissociate (slowly) or recombine further with C+. In this limited system, cluster growth would be catastrophic were it not for photodissociation. The large abundances of carbon clusters with 20 < n < 40 suggests that such molecules may well be the carriers of the well-known DIBs.118... 

A much more detailed and time-dependent study of complex hydrocarbon and carbon cluster formation has been prepared by Bettens and Herbst,83 84 who considered the detailed growth of unsaturated hydrocarbons and clusters via ion-molecule and neutral-neutral processes under the conditions of both dense and diffuse interstellar clouds. In order to include molecules up to 64 carbon atoms in size, these authors increased the size of their gas-phase model to include approximately 10,000reactions. The products of many of the unstudied reactions have been estimated via simplified statistical (RRKM) calculations coupled with ab initio and semiempirical energy calculations. The simplified RRKM approach posits a transition state between complex and products even when no obvious potential barrier... 

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