Supercritical-assisted atomization to produce micro- and/or nanoparticles of controlled size and distribution

A supercritical-assisted atomization (SAA) technique is proposed to produce micro- and nanoparticles of controlled size and distribution. It is based on the solubilization of controlled quantities of supercritical CO(2) in liquid solutions containing a solid solute and on the subsequent atomization of the ternary solution through a nozzle. This technique has been successfully tested using some different kinds of compounds: superconductor and catalyst precursors, ceramics, and pharmaceutical compounds, using some different liquid solvents such as water, methanol, and acetone. As examples of this technique, nanometric and micrometric powders of zinc acetate, aluminum sulfate, zirconyl nitrate hydrate, sodium chloride, dexamethasone, carbamazepine, ampicillin, and,triclabenzadol are proposed. A systematic analysis of the influence of the concentration of the liquid solution, kind of liquid solvent, and nozzle diameter on the particle size and distribution of SAA-produced powders is also proposed in the case of yttrium acetate micronization.