Simple Reactor for Ultrasonic Spray Synthesis of Nanostructured Materials

• Published in: Chemistry of materials 2017-01, Vol.29 (1), p.62-68
• Main Authors: Fu, Jie, Daanen, Nick N, Rugen, Evan E, Chen, Dennis P, Skrabalak, Sara E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0897-4756; 1520-5002
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b02660

Developing a facile and general synthetic strategy toward particles with size, shape, and compositional control is of importance to nanotechnology applications. Ultrasonic spray synthesis (USS) is a continuous route to micro- and nanoscale particles with structural control, which are often difficult to obtain for inorganic solids with complex compositions or of metastable phases. This protocol describes the design and assembling of components for a simple reactor for USS. Components include a nebulizer, a nebulization chamber, a furnace, a furnace tube and the corresponding adapters, and a product collection apparatus. Details of our house-made components are provided as well as insights on material selection based on different synthetic requirements. We exemplify USS with a step-by-step procedure to single-crystalline NaSbO3 nanoplates, and this procedure can be easily modified to accommodate other chemistries. The integration of USS and molten salt synthesis for single-crystalline NaSbO3 nanoplates demonstrates the versatility of USS as a route to materials of different compositions, with shape and size control. With the incorporation of new chemical methods into USS, e.g., molten salt chemistry, topotactic transformations, and combustion chemistry, USS will remain a versatile, continuous flow platform for material syntheses.