Physical and Chemical Properties, Morphology, Structure and Reactivity of Soot Particles of Diesel Exhaust Gases

This work considers the methods for studying the composition and structure of solid carbon particles (Diesel particulate matter — DPM) formed during the combustion of fuel in the cylinder of a highspeed diesel engine. The choice of the set of tools for studying physical and chemical properties is due to their small size and the small amount of time devoted to studying their primary structure, since they undergo changes in the future. The paper presents some of the results of such studies. The results give better understanding of the morphology of carbonaceous particles, and thus the mechanisms of their formation and oxidation. Particular attention is paid to the internal structure of the particles, which determines their properties, reactivity, and ways of further development. We draw the conclusions upon the effectiveness of the considered methods for determining the internal structure of solid carbonaceous particles, the main properties of particles obtained by burning diesel fuel, as well as using alcohols and compounds based on them as fuel. It is shown that the molecular and atomic structure of carbon particles has a multilayer structure affecting the ability of these particles to participate in further reactions.