Abstract
Among the various methods for the preparation of nanoparticles, a sparking process at atmospheric pressure is of interest because it is a simple method for producing nanoparticles ranging from a few nanometer-sized particles to agglomerated film structures. In this research, we studied the effects of metal electrode properties on nanoparticle sizes. The experiments were carried out by applying a high voltage to different metal sparkling tips. The transfer of energies from positive ions and electron bombardments induced the melting and vaporization of electrode metals. Based on this research, we have developed a model to describe the formation of a nanoparticle film on the substrate, placed under the sparking gap, and the nanostructure produced by metal vapor on the sparking electrodes. The model provides a realistic tool that can be used for the design of a large-scale coating and the application of nanoparticles developed by this process for the filtration of PM2.5 mask fabric by air.
Highlights
The sparking process is of interest because it is performed in atmospheric air, is inexpensive and does not require a vacuum system
The sparking discharge studies by Kohut et al [29] describe craters, undulated areas, and dendritic areas of nickel and copper electrodes in low numbers as opposed to our study (100). Their results support our approach to sparking discharge for nanoparticle generation trough metal melt, with only a small portion of the electrode content being aerosolized for nanoparticle synthesis
This confirms the production of nanoparticles by the sparking discharge methodology and spark discharge apparatus as mainly coming from the metal melt process
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. There have been several publications describing the production of nanoparticles using the sparking process in atmospheric pressure, the effects of the wire electrode properties on the nanoparticle size and formation pattern of the deposited films have not been reported previously. For the low-pressure atmosphere, Tabrizi et al [13] produced gold nanoparticles using the spark discharge at the pressure of 1–2.5 bar They explained that the electrode materials were evaporated, and the nanoparticles were nucleated and agglomerated from the vapor. The effects of the electrode properties on the generated nanoparticles from both vaporized and molten metals were described and applied in forms of aerosol for disposable face mask testing of filtration efficiency
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