Gas-disperse synthesis of metal oxide particles

The main results of years of research of metal dust flames aimed at the development of the scientific basis for the method of gas-disperse synthesis of metal oxide nanopowders are discussed. Methods of burning metal dust in oxide-containing media, the key problems of gas-disperse synthesis, and possible ways to solve these problems are considered. The ways of controlling the disperse composition of vapor-phase and gas-phase combustion products of metal particles by variation of the macroparameters of the dust flame and ionization of condensed and gaseous phases in the combustion zone with the help of adding easily ionized atoms to the fuel are analyzed. It is shown that an adequate description of condensation in a flame is impossible without consideration for the influence of electrophysical processes on nucleation and coagulation in the flame. It is established that ionization of the condensed phase is the most significant factor during coagulation of nano-oxide particles in a dust flame. This allows expecting that the influence on particle ionization may turn out to be an effective method of controlling the dispersion of the target products of gas-disperse synthesis.