Experimental Study on the Reaction of CCl3F and CH4 in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Nonequilibrium Plasma Reactor

Sazal K. Kundu, Eric M. Kennedy, John C. MacKie, Clovia I. Holdsworth, Thomas S. Molloy, Vaibhav V. Gaikwad, Bogdan Z. Dlugogorski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The reaction of CCl3F (CFC-11) with CH4 (in an argon bath gas) in a dielectric barrier discharge nonequilibrium plasma was examined. Oxygen and nitrogen were excluded from the feed stream and the reactions resulted in the production of fluorine-containing polymers, as well as a range of gaseous products including H2, HCl, HF, C2H3F, C2H3Cl, C2H2ClF, CHCl2F, CCl2F2, CH3Cl, CH2Cl2, CHCl3, and C2Cl4. The polymeric material synthesized during reaction is characterized as being non-cross-linked and random in nature, containing functional groups including CH3, CH2, CHCl, CHF, CF2, and CF3. The conversion level of CCl3F increased from 37% to 63% as the input energy density increased from 3 to 13 kJ L-1 (the applied voltage range was 14.1 to 15.2 kV, peak-peak). The electrical discharge was characterized and found to be a slight modification of filamentary discharge toward a diffuse discharge due to the presence of the relatively low concentration of CCl3F and CH4 (less than 2% each) in argon. A reaction mechanism is proposed describing the formation of gas phase, as well as polymeric products.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)463-471
Number of pages9
JournalIndustrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
Volume55
Issue number2
Early online date18 Dec 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Jan 2016
Externally publishedYes

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