▎ 摘　　要

NOVELTY - Apparatus (1500) comprises: a reaction zone (1632) configured to receive a hydrocarbon gas; a heating element (1508) arranged within the reaction zone and configured to heat the hydrocarbon gas, the reaction zone configured to thermally crack the hydrocarbon gas at a cracking temperature; and an output coupled to the reaction zone, the output configured to output carbon aggregates generated in response to thermally cracking the hydrocarbon gas at the cracking temperature. USE - The apparatus is used for refining, pyrolizing, dissociating or cracking feedstock process gases into constituent components to produce the carbon nanoparticles and the carbon aggregates, and other solid and/or gaseous products (hydrogen gas and/or lower order hydrocarbon gases), where the feedstock process gases include hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide, 1-10C hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, other hydrocarbon gases, natural gas, methane, ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, saturated/unsaturated hydrocarbon gases, ethene, propene, and their mixtures, and the carbon nanoparticles and the carbon aggregates can include multi-walled spherical fullerenes (MWSFs), connected MWSFs, carbon nanospheres, graphene, graphite, highly ordered pyrolytic graphite, single walled nanotubes, multi-walled nanotubes, and other solid carbon products. The apparatus is used for thermal cracking of a feedstock process gas to produce the carbon nanoparticles and aggregates. The carbon nanoparticles and aggregates are used in various applications including lubricant formulations (lubricants for high-speed or high-stress applications, lubricants for high-temperature environments, lubricants for high-thermal conductivity applications, and/or anti-stiction lubricants), filtration and separation applications (chemical filters, water filtration, desalinization, gas separation, oxidation barrier, impermeable membranes, non-reactive filters, and/or carbon sequestration material), transportation and industrial applications (rubber additives, tire additives, automobile tire additives, major components in tires, functionalized additives for tires, couplings, mounts, elastomeric o-rings, hoses, sealants, and/or epoxies), metamaterials formulations (the particles or aggregates decorated with nickel, cobalt or iron nanowires, carbon dielectric layered materials, and interface materials with functionalized surfaces, and other combinations with other materials that result in unexpected properties), electronics ink formulations (conductive inks, transparent conductive inks, three-dimensional (3D)printed circuits and printed circuit boards (PCBs), resistivity inks, dielectric inks, flexible electronics, piezoelectrics, antennas, rectennas, smart rectennas, electrochromic devices, triboelectric devices, microwave equipment, system inks, and identification systems, among others), other inks (cosmetics, and/or 3D printed structural inks), coatings (anti-corrosion, super hydrophobic, room heating, de-icing, cooling, electro-static discharge (ESD), radiofrequency shielding (EMF shielding) radiofrequency absorbing (EMF absorbing), and/or fabric and textile coatings), capacitor material formulations (super capacitor additives, high surface area carbon, high purity carbon, high surface area high purity carbon, and/or separators), sensors and solid state electronics applications (chemical, humidity, touch, light, transistors, diodes, and/or integrated devices), composite materials formulations (as additives for cement, steel, aluminum, plastics, and/or carbon fiber), energy applications (hydrogen storage, anode composites, cathode composites, batteries, fuel cell electrodes, capacitors, and/or capacitor/battery hybrids), in-vivo bio-medical applications (tissue engineering, drug delivery, metal delivery, bio-degradable nanowire for neuro regeneration, and/or better health), and ex-vivo bio-medical applications (filtration, skin electrodes, and other medical devices). ADVANTAGE - The produced nanoparticles and agglomerates have different combinations of a high mass fraction compared to other carbon allotropes present, a low concentration of defects, a low concentration of elemental impurities, a high Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) specific surface area, and/or a high electrical conductivity. The apparatus produces the nanoparticles and agglomerates at a high production rate without using catalysts. DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows a simplified schematic view of a cracking apparatus. Thermal cracking apparatus (apparatus) (1500) Body (1502) Top cap assembly (1504) Heating element (1508) Reaction zone (reaction tube) (1530)