Flame Synthesis of Nanomaterials

Abstract

: Flame synthesis of materials has demonstrated a history of scalability and offers the potential for high-volume commercial production at reduced costs. Flame synthesis can produce a multitude of nanomaterial morphologies (from zero-dimensional nanoparticles to one-dimensional nanotubes/nanowires to two-dimensional graphene to higher-dimensional structures such as nanolayered and nanoporous films) and compositions (mainly in carbon-based or oxide form). Here, flame synthesis of ceramic oxide nanoparticles, semiconducting metal-oxide nanostructures, carbon nanotubes, and graphene will be presented. Different burner configurations and key processing parameters will be discussed for the synthesized nanomaterials. In-situ laser-based diagnostics for the characterization of the flame synthesis flow field and the nanomaterials themselves are also presented, with emphasis on determining fundamental mechanisms, as well as possible use as in situ monitoring with feedback control of input parameters for reproducible production of tailored nanomaterials.