本研究利用射頻 (Radio-Frequency, rf) 電漿反應器做苯的分解反應。將獲得的沉積物以電子顯微鏡(SEM)做觀測,發現呈現出兩種不同的形狀,一為殼形結構物(shell structured dust particles),大小分佈範圍在3到40 μm,另一種是密集的球型結構(dense and spherical dust particles),大小分佈範圍在100 nm到2 μm。同時,產物也藉由顯微鏡式拉曼(micro-Raman)光譜儀、顯微鏡式霍式轉換紅外線(micro- FTIR)光譜儀、氣相層析質譜儀(GC-MS)以及發射光譜,去做一系列的鑑定。由氣相層析質譜儀分析的結果可知沉積物含有一些polyphenyls的物質,例如聯苯(biphenyl)、三聯苯(terphenyls)和四聯苯(quaterphenyls),以及微量的多環芳香烴化合物(Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, PAHs)例如triphenylene。沉積物的拉曼光譜與氫電漿處理過的石墨光譜相比對,發現在1300~1700 cm-1有類似之訊號,且有螢光的出現,這是因為含有非晶相碳物質(Hydrogenated amorphous carbon HAC)所造成的。紅外光譜偵測後,顯示在2850 cm-1到2950 cm-1有C-H鍵伸縮振動之訊號,這是含有非晶相碳物質之特徵,這也與外太空所偵測到的物質紅外光譜特徵是相符合的。因此希望藉由苯的電漿反應,去探討可能生成的產物與產物的反應路徑。
A radio frequency discharge has been used to study the decomposition of benzene. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) inspection revealed that the plasma synthesized dust particles can be classified in two types. Shell structured dust particles showed a wide size distribution from 3 to 40 μm. The other type is dene and spherical with particles size distribution from 100nm to 2 μm. Dust deposition was analyzed using micro-Raman, Fourier transform infrared microscopy (micro-FT-IR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and optical emission spectroscopic techniques. The gas chromatography mass spectrometry result indicated that the main components of the dust particles are polyphenyls and a trace amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as triphenylene. The luminescence background in Raman spectra and infrared C-H stretching vibration features observed around 2850 cm-1 to 2950 cm-1 for the dust particles are attributed to hydrogenated amorphous carbon (HAC). The fate of benzene in plasma and formation mechanisms and astrophysical implications of plasma synthesized carbonaceous dust particles are discussed.