Abstract
In this article, soot particles generated and discharged from the flame during the kerosene combustion were studied. The soot particles collected in the flame were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, while the soot particles collected above the flame were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman, and thermogravimetric techniques. The results show that with the increase of the sampling height within the flame, the morphology of the soot particles gradually changed from viscous, connected dense state to well-defined particles which were accumulated to form chain structure, and eventually formed particle superposition. Meanwhile, the soot particles mainly contain four elements of C, O, N, and H. The soot particles showed good oxidation activity in the thermogravimetric analysis in an oxygen environment. On the other hand, by heating in a nitrogen environment, after 567 °C, the soot particles were subject to thermal degradation by self-oxidation with O-containing functional groups, involving bond rupture and restructuring to generate volatile substances.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.