Laser-based in situ measurement and simulation of gas-phase temperature and iron atom concentration in a pilot-plant nanoparticle synthesis reactor

Abstract A scaled-up flame reactor for nanoparticle synthesis was investigated through a combination of in-situ laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations with detailed chemistry. Multi-line NO-LIF was used for imaging gas-temperature and Fe-LIF for measurement of iron atom concentration. Despite the challenging environment of production reactors in an industrial environment, various conditions for stable flames with different gas flows with and without adding Fe(CO) 5 as precursor for the synthesis of iron-oxide nanoparticles were investigated. In contrast to previous measurements in laminar lab-scale flames, a second mechanism for forming iron oxide nanoparticles was found via intermediate formation of iron clusters and elemental iron particles in hot, oxygen-free gas streams followed by subsequent oxidation.