Research into nanoparticles obtained by electric explosion of conductive materials

One of the primary nanoparticles production methods is electric explosion of wire (further — EEW) which is known as a physical phenomenon since 1771. Limitation of EEW as a method of nanoparticles production lies in a great dispersion of particle diameters — a spectrum of nano- and micrometric diameters (103 and higher differences in diameters are likely). Due to great differences in nanoparticles diameters formed by explosion (in aerosol conditioned by explosion), a continuous separation of nanoparticles from aerosol flows is essential. Dispersion of conductor explosion products is mostly affected by a diameter of wire, density of comparative energy, duration of the energy input. Objective of this research is to investigate the vista of producing nanoparticles by EEW at low voltage and high energy surplus using the wire of an enlarged diameter. Analyses have been made by exploding the iron wire of 60 mm length and 0.31 and 0.45 mm diameter and the copper wire of 0.375 and 0.49 mm diameter. Purity of the wire material was 99.5% of iron and 99.9% of copper. To separate nanoparticles from aerosol a separation device was used which consists of a precipitator and three stages centrifugal cyclone. SEM analysis of Fe nanoparticles using SEM showed the mean diameter of particles about 69 nm (for wire O0.45 mm). Cu nanoparticles was 97 nm in diameter (for wire O0.49 mm). XRD spectra of iron and copper nanoparticles indicated a high oxidation level of Fe and Cu (oxides of different crystollagraphic axes are formed such as Fe3O4, Fe2O3, CuO, Cu2O). A moderate quantity of pure Fe and Cu metals (Fe(110), Fe(211), C(l 11), Cu(200)).