Flame Spray Pyrolysis of metal-oxides: TOward Size and morphological Control of flame-synthetized NAnoparticles by combining experimental and numerical approaches – TOSCaNA

Nanoparticle (NP) synthesis is a viable avenue for pursuing the production of next-generation materials. To provide their use on a global scale, technologies allowing large-scale inexpensive production of tailored NP with well-defined optimized characteristics are mandatory. For this, Flame Spray Pyrolysis (FSP) systems constitute a promising option, but precise control of turbulent spray combustion is needed since it governs the particle characteristics such as size and morphology, which greatly govern the performances of the final material. For this, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, providing complementary and unique information to experiments, is an essential tool for the rational design of NP, whose fabrication is commonly based on ‘trial & error’ methods. Thus, the goal of the TOSCaNA project is to develop experimental metrology and a CFD formalism for the prediction of the size and morphology of flame-synthetized metal-oxides, by
1) Advanced optical in-situ diagnostics and CFD models for the characterization at the continuum level of an ensemble of nanoparticles. This will be possible by coupling them with measurements and simulations at the nanoscale.
2) Investigations of the effect of operating conditions on the aerosol process by studying the temporal and spatial evolution of NP characteristics in laminar and turbulent flames.
This will put the basis for future rigorous optimization of hydrogen-based FSP technology for ‘green’ production of nanoparticles at an industrial scale.