Nanomaterials synthesized by gas combustion flames: Morphology and structure

The flame technology has been employed broadly for large-scale manufacture of carbon blacks, fumed silica, pigmentary titania, and also ceramic commodities such as SiO(2), TiO(2), and Al(2)O(3). A deeper understanding of the process also made it possible for production of novel nanomaterials with high functionality-various novel nanomaterials such as nanorods, nanowires, nanotubes, nanocoils, and nanocomposites with core/shell, hollow and ball-in-shell structures, have been synthesized recently via gas combustion technology, while the mechanisms of the material formation were investigated based on the nucleation-growth and chemical engineering principles. Studies of the fluid flow and mass mixing, supported by principles of chemical reaction engineering, could provide knowledge for better understanding of the process, and thus make rational manipulation of the products possible. (C) 2010 Chinese Society of Particuology and Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.