International. Finland's Technical Research Centre (VTT) has developed a new cost-effective method for producing from various types of metal nanoparticles.
Nanoparticles can be used in applications such as conductive and magnetic inks, medical diagnostics and drug dosing, adaptation of the electrical and magnetic properties of polymers, and energy technology. VTT is looking for a stakeholder in commercializing the technique.
VTT's aerosol technology reactor for the production of nanoparticles can generate a variety of pure metal particles, particles of various alloys and carbon-coated particles. It can also efficiently produce hundreds of grams or even kilograms of nanoparticles per day.
"Demand has outpaced supply in nanoparticle markets. This has been an obstacle to the development of product applications; Nano-metallic compounds are scarce and often available only in small quantities We wanted to show that it was possible to produce nanomaterials in considerable and cost-effective quantities," said research leader Ari Auvinen.
When developing the reactor, the goal was to reach a production figure of 200 to 3,000 grams per day. This has already been clearly overcome. Due to the extremely small waste of material incurred when using this equipment, remote control production can be maintained for several days. In most cases, the industrial production of metal nanoparticles involves chemical reduction in liquid solutions, which requires the design of specific product solutions. Plasma synthesis, which consumes large amounts of energy and involves significant waste of material, is another method generally used.
