Study on packing characteristics of powders with surface modification by nanoparticles

Abstract

Powders with coated nanoparticles on the surface as a surface modification technique can alter the surface texture of the particles. This paper explored the additional number of nanoparticles on powder packing characteristics. The adhesion mode of nanoparticles and its influence on the inter-particle force in the system were discussed. The study found that the bulk density first increases and then decreases as the content of nanoparticles increases. The incorporation of nanoparticles reduces the inter-particle force, with the optimal mass fraction of nanoparticles being 0.25%, resulting in a 4.43% increase in bulk density. The attachment mode of nanoparticles was observed and analyzed through SEM, with five possible contact modes between particles identified. The change in the inter-particle force was quantitatively analyzed through the probability of each mode. The Bo number was used to establish a prediction model for bulk density, which yielded a highly accurate prediction.