Fabrication of carbon-coated aluminum nanoparticles and carbon quantum dots by arc discharge in liquid environment

A method to prepare carbon-coated aluminum nanoparticles and carbon quantum dots by arc ablation of electrodes in liquid environment is proposed. The arc plasma is initiated by contacting and releasing of the electrodes. The target products are formed by evaporation-condensation process and the small droplets sputtering from the molten electrode under the arc ablation. Without any vacuum devices, the carbon-coated aluminum nanoparticles and carbon quantum dots were obtained in a single step. The carbon-coated aluminum nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman analysis, and dynamic light scattering method. The results indicates that the obtained carbon-coated aluminum nanoparticles are encapsulated by several graphene layers. The carbon quantum dots in the products are separated and confirmed by HAADF-STEM and HRTEM. This method is promising for the fabrication of carbon-coated aluminum nanoparticles and carbon quantum dots.