Experimental Analysis and Characterization of High-Purity Aluminum Nanoparticles (Al-NPs) by Electromagnetic Levitation Gas Condensation (ELGC)

Abstract

The production of high-purity aluminum nanoparticles (Al-NPs) is challenging due to the highly reactive nature of Al metals. Electromagnetic levitation gas condensation (ELGC) is a promising method to produce high-purity metallic particles as it avoids the interaction between molten metal and refractory-lined, which guarantees the removal of impurities such as oxygen (O). In this research, high-purity Al-NPs were successfully fabricated via ELGC process and fully characterized. The effects of power input and gas flow rate on particle size and distribution were analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results showed that the Al-NPs have spherical morphologies with an average diameter of 17 nm and size distribution of NPs is narrow under helium (He) flow rate of 15 L/min at a constant temperature of 1683 ± 10 K. The purity of the NPs was confirmed by utilizing X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Finally, metal purity of 99.976% and 99.97% was measured by AAS and XRF analyses, respectively. Moreover, it was found that increasing gas flow rate and sample temperature results in a decrease in the particle size. The particle sizes for the Al-NPs obtained under He atmosphere were smaller than those obtained under Ar atmosphere.