Flame synthesis of functional nanostructured materials and devices: Surface growth and aggregation

Abstract

Combustion is essential to the manufacture of carbon black, fumed oxides, optical fibers and, recently, new high-value products like carbon nanotubes, nanosilver and biomagnetic nanofluids that are driven to market predominantly by start-ups. This technology is attractive for material synthesis for its proven scalability as it does not involve the tedious steps of wet chemistry and can readily form stably metastable compositions and high purity products. Recent advances in aerosol and combustion sciences reveal that coagulation and sintering and/or surface growth control product particle size and morphology through the high temperature particle residence time, self-preserving size distributi..