Synthesis of Aluminium Nanoparticles in A Water/Polyethylene Glycol Mixed Solvent using μ-EDM

Abstract

Nanoparticles present a practical way of retaining the results of the property at the atomic or molecular level. Due to the recent use of nanoparticles in scientific, industrial and medical applications, synthesis of nanoparticles and their characterization have become considerably important. Currently, aluminium nanoparticles have attracted significant research attention because of their reasonable cost, unique properties and interdisciplinary emerging applications. The present paper reports the synthesis of aluminium nanoparticles in the mixture of Deionized water (DI water) and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) using a developed micro-Electrical Discharge Machining (μ-EDM) method. PEG was used as a stabilizer to prevent nanoparticles from agglomeration produced during the μ -EDM process. The synthesized aluminium nanoparticles were examined by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive Analysis by X-rays (EDAX) and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) pattern to determine their size, shape, chemical nature and crystal structure. The average size of the polyhedral aluminium nanoparticles is found to be 196 nm.