Study on Characteristics of Nanopowders Synthesized by Nanosecond Electrical Explosion of Thin Aluminum Wire in the Argon Gas

As a new gas-phase synthesis method for the production of nanosize powders, the wire electrical explosion method has the advantages of high energy efficiency and high product purity through production under pure inert gas conditions and has been applied to the continuous industrial production of nanopowders. In this paper, an experimental device based on the electrical explosion of metallic wires for nanopowder production and collection is designed and built. Also, aluminum nanopowders were produced by electrically exploding an aluminum wire and collected by the microporous membrane filter successfully under different pressures of argon gas. Moreover, the influence of the argon gas pressure on the characteristics of the aluminum nanopowders was analyzed by a transmission electron microscope. The results showed that the particle shape, size, and distribution of the aluminum nanopowders could be controlled by the pressure of argon gas. The aluminum nanoparticles produced in the high-pressure argon gas had better spherical particle shape; meanwhile, the count mean diameter of the aluminum nanopowders increased obviously with the rise of the argon gas pressure. A higher pressure of argon gas could broaden the range of the aluminum nanoparticle size distribution evidently.

[1]  K. Niihara,et al.  “Synthesis of Aluminum Nitride Nanopowder with Particle Size Less than 10 nm by Pulsed Wire Discharge in Nitrogen Gas” , 2010, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics.

[2]  K. Niihara,et al.  Particle Size Controllability of Ambient Gas Species for Copper Nanoparticles Prepared by Pulsed Wire Discharge , 2008, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics.

[3]  K. Niihara,et al.  Synthesis of intermetallic NiAl compound nanoparticles by pulsed wire discharge of twisted Ni and Al wires , 2012 .

[4]  X. Zou,et al.  Two different modes of wire explosion for nano-powder production , 2012 .

[5]  C. S. Wong,et al.  Effect of ambient air pressure on synthesis of copper and copper oxide nanoparticles by wire explosion process , 2012 .

[6]  G. Bae,et al.  In-Situ Characterization of Metal Nanopowders Manufactured by the Wire Electrical Explosion Process , 2010 .

[7]  K. Niihara,et al.  Effect of energy deposition on TiO2 nanosized powder synthesized by pulsed wire discharge , 2009 .

[8]  V. An,et al.  Characteristics of nanopowders produced by wire electrical explosion of tinned copper conductor in argon , 2008 .

[9]  C. Cho,et al.  Effects of the medium on synthesis of nanopowders by wire explosion process , 2007 .

[10]  C. Cho,et al.  Production of nanopowders by wire explosion in liquid media , 2007 .

[11]  A. P. Ilyin,et al.  Carbide-nanopowders produced by electrical explosion of wires , 2007 .

[12]  O. Nazarenko,et al.  Nanopowders produced by electrical explosion of wires , 2007 .

[13]  A. R. Mingaleev,et al.  Maximum Energy Deposition During Resistive Stage and Overvoltage at Current Driven Nanosecond Wire Explosion , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.

[14]  H. Suematsu,et al.  Synthesis of$hboxAl_2hboxO_3$–$hboxZrO_2$Nanocomposite Powders by Pulsed Wire Discharge , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.

[15]  A. Gromov,et al.  Effect of the passivating coating type, particle size, and storage time on oxidation and nitridation of aluminum powders , 2006 .

[16]  H. Suematsu,et al.  Production and Characterization of Nano Copper Powder Using Pulsed Power Technique , 2006 .

[17]  K. Cochrane,et al.  Nanosecond electrical explosion of thin aluminum wires in a vacuum: experimental and computational investigations. , 2005, Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.

[18]  T. Suzuki,et al.  Enhancement of energy deposition in pulsed wire discharge for synthesis of nanosized powders , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.

[19]  R. Sarathi,et al.  Studies on production and characterization of nano-Al2O3 powder using wire explosion technique , 2004 .

[20]  久幸 末松,et al.  パルス細線放電法による SnO2 ナノ粒子の粒径分布 , 2004 .

[21]  Yu. A. Kotov,et al.  Electric Explosion of Wires as a Method for Preparation of Nanopowders , 2003 .

[22]  M. Bowker,et al.  Catalysis at the metal-support interface: exemplified by the photocatalytic reforming of methanol on Pd/TiO2 , 2003 .

[23]  T. Khabas.  Solid-Phase Synthesis and Sintering in Highly Disperse Oxide-Metal Powder Mixtures , 2002 .

[24]  Tsuneo Suzuki,et al.  Nanosize Al2O3 Powder Production by Pulsed Wire Discharge , 2000, 2000 13th International Conference on High-Power Particle Beams.

[25]  F. Tepper.  Metallic nanopowders produced by the electro-exploding wire process , 1999 .

[26]  Weihua Jiang,et al.  Pulsed wire discharge for nanosize powder synthesis , 1998 .

[27]  V. Sedoi,et al.  Producing highly disperse powder in fast electrical explosion , 1998 .

[28]  Y. Kotov,et al.  Producing Al and Al2O3 Nanopowders by Electrical Explosion of Wire , 1997 .

[29]  이창규,et al.  Fabrication of Al Nano Powders by Pulsed Wire Evaporation (PWE) Method , 1993 .

[30]  R. Phalen.  EVALUATION OF AN EXPLODED-WIRE AEROSOL GENERATOR FOR USE IN INHALATION STUDIES. , 1972 .