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 degrees C. In this process, LaNi5 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 microbeads have diameters ranging from 2 to 5 mu m. The spindle-like micro-beads had diameters ranging from 2 to 4 mu m and lengths ranging from 5 to 10 mu m.