Effect of the Atmosphere on the Products of Arc Plasma Method

Plasma techniques have been used to synthesis of metal, metal compounds, and surface modification. In that processing, atmosphere is more important to the compositions and properties of nanoparticles and films. We found that the atmosphere has not only effected the compositions, but also plays a significant role on the morphologies of the products. By changing atmosphere based on different requirement, we obtained spherical Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles, mixture of hexangular Mn₃O₄ nanosheets and Mn+3O(OH) nanorods, and Mn₆N_2.58 nanoparticles coated with graphite layer. The compositions, structure and morphologies of the products were determined by x‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron diffraction (ED). Finally, we preliminarily discussed the reason of the effect of the atmosphere to the final products of arc plasma method.