Topography, structure, and formation kinetic mechanism of carbon deposited onto nickel in the temperature range from 400 to 850℃

The carbon deposition behavior on nickel particles was observed within the temperature range from 400 to 800℃ in a pure methane atmosphere. The topography, properties, and molecular structure of the deposited carbon were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) technology, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The deposited carbon is present in the form of a film at 400-450℃, as fibers at 500-600℃, and as particles at 650-800℃. In addition, the structure of the deposited carbon becomes more ordered at higher temperatures because both the TPO peak temperature of deposited carbon and the Raman shift of the G band increase with the increase in experimental temperature, whereas the intensity ratio between the D bands and the G band decreases. An interesting observation is that the carbon deposition rate is suppressed in the medium-temperature range (M-T range) and the corresponding kinetic mechanism changes. Correspondingly, the FWHM of the G and D1 bands in the Raman spectrum reaches a maximum and the intensities of the D2, D3, and D4 bands decrease to low limits in the M-T range. These results indicate that carbon structure parameters exhibit two different tendencies with respect to varying temperature. Both of the two group parameters change dramatically as a peak function with increasing reaction temperature within the M-T range.