Process and apparatus to synthesize materials

Abstract

Described are a process and method to synthesize ultrafine materials such as metal oxides and highly dispersed mixed metal oxides. A process for forming an ultrafine material comprises mixing two or more liquid precursor compositions in a mixing apparatus to form a precursor mixture, wherein the mixing apparatus is in fluid communication with an atomizer; atomizing the precursor mixture in the atomizer to form droplets; directing the droplets to a reaction chamber in communication with a volumetric heating source, wherein the a reaction chamber is in fluid communication with the atomizer; volumetrically heating the droplets to produce the ultrafine material; and isolating the ultrafine material.

1 . A process for forming an ultrafine material, comprising: 
 mixing two or more liquid precursor compositions in a mixing apparatus to form a precursor mixture, wherein the mixing apparatus is in fluid communication with an atomizer;    atomizing the precursor mixture in the atomizer to form droplets;    directing the droplets to a reaction chamber in communication with a volumetric heating source, wherein the reaction chamber is in fluid communication with the atomizer;    volumetrically heating the droplets to produce the ultrafine material; and    isolating the ultrafine material.    
   
   
       2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein volumetrically heating comprises contacting the droplets with microwaves, radiofrequency waves, a plasma, an arc discharge, or laser irradiation.  
   
   
       3 . The process of  claim 2 , wherein volumetrically heating comprises contacting the droplets with microwaves.  
   
   
       4 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the mixing apparatus comprises a micromixer.  
   
   
       5 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the mixing apparatus comprises a syringe pump and a T-connector.  
   
   
       6 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the atomizer comprises an ultrasonic nozzle.  
   
   
       7 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the liquid precursor compositions comprises a precursor molecule comprising a metal component.  
   
   
       8 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein the metal component is aluminum, boron, tin, thallium, antimony, lithium, sodium, potassium, strontium, yttrium, zirconium, barium, titanium, lead, samarium, rubidium, lanthanum, indium, nickel, copper, cobalt, calcium, magnesium, manganese, bismuth, zinc, silicon, germanium, nickel, astatine, tantalum, vanadium, iron, chromium, cadmium, molybdenum, antimony, cesium, gallium, niobium, silver, selenium, tungsten, tellurium, thorium, palladium, arsenic, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, uranium gold, silver, or a combination comprising one or more of the forgoing metal components.  
   
   
       9 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein the precursor molecule comprises an anion, wherein the anion is hydroxide, nitrate, sulfate, carbonate, phosphate, chlorate, halide, acetate, oxalate, acetylacetonate, ammonia, amine, silicate, oxometalate, sulfite, nitrite, and combinations comprising one or more of the foregoing anions.  
   
   
       10 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein the metal component is in the form of an organometallic compound.  
   
   
       11 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrafine material has maximum diameters of about 1 nanometer to about 100 micrometers  
   
   
       12 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrafine material is a metal oxide, a mixed metal oxide, an aluminosilicate, a zeolite, a ceramic, an alloy, an insulator, a polymer, a semiconductor, a superconductor, a clay, alumina, or silica.  
   
   
       13 . The process of  claim 3 , further comprising inducing a plasma in the reaction chamber during the contacting.  
   
   
       14 . The process of  claim 1 , comprising treating the ultrafine material with a thermal heating source prior to isolating the material.  
   
   
       15 . An apparatus for forming an ultrafine material, comprising: 
 a mixing apparatus to form a mixture of two or more precursor liquids;    an atomizer for forming droplets of the mixture; and    a reaction chamber in communication with a volumetric heating source to irradiate the droplets formed by the atomizer;    wherein the mixing apparatus and the atomizer are in fluid communication, and the atomizer and the reaction chamber are in fluid communication.    
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the volumetric heating source comprises a pulsed wave laser source, a continuous wave laser source, a flashlamp or filament lamp, a radiofrequency source, a microwave source, an ac discharge source, a dc discharge source, or a corona discharge source.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the mixing apparatus comprises a micromixer.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the mixing apparatus comprises a syringe pump and a T connector.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the atomizer comprises an ultrasonic nozzle.  
   
   
       20 . A process for forming an ultrafine material, comprising: 
 atomizing a first liquid precursor in an atomizer to form droplets;    directing the droplets to a reaction chamber in communication with a volumetric heating source, wherein the reaction chamber is in fluid communication with the atomizer, and wherein the reaction chamber comprises a second liquid precursor;    volumetrically heating the first and second precursors to produce the ultrafine material; and    isolating the ultrafine material.