PURPOSE: To efficiently use carbon material in producing fullerenes.
CONSTITUTION: Soot contg. fullerenes is formed in a fullerene producing device 50, introduced into a heating vessel 68 of a fullerene separator 66 and heated by a heater 70. The fullerenes in the soot are sublimated and recovered in traps 74, 76 and 78. The soot separated from the fullerenes is again supplied to a spray nozzle 54 through pipelines 71 and 56 and used in the fullerene forming reaction. Since the soot separated from the fullerenes is recycled in this way as the raw material, the cost of raw material is reduced. High-purity fullerenes are obtained because the fullerenes are heated, sublimated and removed from the formed soot, and the production process is also simplified.
MURATA KATSUHIDE
IRIE TAKAHIRO
HATTA NAOKI
