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5.1.4. Inert gas condensation

Gas condensation, as a technique for producing nanoparticles, refers to the formation of

nanoparticles in the gas phase, i. e., condensing atoms and molecules in the vapor phase.
The inert gas condensation (IGC) process is one of the most known and well
established procedures for the production of nanopowders. These powders are widely
used for electrically conductive adhesives and polymers, which find application, among
other things, for the surface mounting technique in electronics. Figure 21 gives a
schematic overview of the IGC procedure. Here a material, often a metal, is evaporated
from a heated metallic source into a chamber which has been previously evacuated to
about 10–7 torr and backfilled with inert gas to a low-pressure. The metal vapor cools
through collisions with the inert gas atoms, becomes supersaturated and then nucleates
homogeneously; the particle size is usually in the range 1–100 nm and can be controlled
by varying the inert gas pressure. Ultimately, the particles are collected and may be
compacted to produce a dense nanomaterial.

Fig. 21. Schematic diagram of an inert gas condensation apparatus

5.1.5. Flame pyrolysis

Flame pyrolysis is widely used in production of carbon black, fumed silica (SiO2),
ultrafine TiO2 and many other materials. In this process flame heat is used to initiate the
chemical reactions. The disadvantage of this method is that it usually yields
agglomerated particles.
Furnace flow reactors (fig. 22) are the simplest systems used to produce saturated
vapor for substances having a large vapor pressure at intermediate temperatures. In
these systems a crucible containing the source material is placed in a heated flow of
inert carrier gas. Materials with low vapor pressure can be fed in as suitable precursors.