Controlling primary particle size in aerosol growth of nanomaterials

IEC 81

Soo-Hyung Kim, Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 111 Church St. S.E, minneapolis, MN 55345 and Michael R. Zachariah, Department's of Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 111 Church St. S.E, Minneapolis, MN 55345.
In this paper we describe strategies to change the primary particle size of aerosols by changing the encounter frequency of the particles. The process involves encapsulation of nanoparticles within a aerosol liquid droplets. Using this approach we have been able to form superamagnetic nanocomposites of iron oxide within a silica matrix, metals in salt, and ultrahigh porosity nanopowders with surface areas 1000 times greater than the geometric surface area. The growth process has been modeled to describe the controlling and rate limiting processes in the formation of the microstructure.