Insights into nanoparticle formation mechanisms

Nanoparticles and nanoparticle-based devices are of interest in numerous industrial applications due to their unique and often advantageous properties. However, a major obstacle to the full exploitation of nanoscale materials is the lack of production processes that yield specific materials reproduc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of materials science 2006-05, Vol.41 (9), p.2711-2722
Main Authors: Perrey, C R, Carter, C B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crystallization
Devices
Droplets
Industrial applications
Materials science
Morphology
Nanocomposites
Nanomaterials
Nanoparticles
Nanostructure
Obstacles
Organic chemistry
Thermal plasmas
Transmission electron microscopy
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Nanoparticles and nanoparticle-based devices are of interest in numerous industrial applications due to their unique and often advantageous properties. However, a major obstacle to the full exploitation of nanoscale materials is the lack of production processes that yield specific materials reproducibly. A fundamental understanding of nanoparticle formation in candidate production systems is critical to achieving both product specificity and uniformity. The present work uses observations from transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the formation processes occurring for silicon and titanium nanoparticles produced from a thermal plasma process. The structure, chemistry, and defect morphology of the nanoparticles are consistent with a rapid cooling and crystallization from a liquid droplet. The observation of surface faceting on some nanoparticles suggests a transition between different crystalline growth regimes.
ISSN:0022-2461
1573-4803
DOI:10.1007/s10853-006-7874-z