title: Design of nanomaterial synthesis by aerosol processes.
abstract: Aerosol synthesis of materials is a vibrant field of particle technology and chemical reaction engineering. Examples include the manufacture of carbon blacks, fumed SiO(2), pigmentary TiO(2), ZnO vulcanizing catalysts, filamentary Ni, and optical fibers, materials that impact transportation, construction, pharmaceuticals, energy, and communications. Parallel to this, development of novel, scalable aerosol processes has enabled synthesis of new functional nanomaterials (e.g., catalysts, biomaterials, electroceramics) and devices (e.g., gas sensors). This review provides an access point for engineers to the multiscale design of aerosol reactors for the synthesis of nanomaterials using continuum, mesoscale, molecular dynamics, and quantum mechanics models spanning 10 and 15 orders of magnitude in length and time, respectively. Key design features are the rapid chemistry; the high particle concentrations but low volume fractions; the attainment of a self-preserving particle size distribution by coagulation; the ratio of the characteristic times of coagulation and sintering, which controls the extent of particle aggregation; and the narrowing of the aggregate primary particle size distribution by sintering.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Process Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Zurich, Switzerland. buesser@ptl.mavt.ethz.ch
authors.forename: Beat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Buesser
authors.forename: Sotiris E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Pratsinis
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000737:chemistry*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D005740:Gases; D008956:Models, Chemical; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D055100:Optical Fibers; D010316:Particle Size; D011789:Quantum Theory; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005740:Gases; C009495:titanium dioxide; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D014025:Titanium; D015034:Zinc Oxide