Development of pressure control technique of an arc-submerged nanoparticle synthesis system (ASNSS) for copper nanoparticle fabrication

The synthesis of nano-materials is one of the crucial techniques towards product and process innovation. In this article, low-pressure control methods for an arc-submerged nanoparticle synthesis system (ASNSS) was proposed and developed for copper nanoparticle fabrication. Two technical advances associated with nanoparticle synthesis were achieved. One is the novel pressure control technique developed for nanoparticle fabrication. The other is the verification that the constant low-operating pressure plays an important role in determining the characteristics of the prepared nanoparticles. From the experimental results, pressure control of the ASNSS was identified as crucial to success of metal nanoparticle synthesis. To achieve the desired pressure control, a vacuum chamber was developed as a nanoparticle accumulator and low-pressure reservoir. The chamber was controlled by the proposed flow-valve feedback control system and integrated with the ASNSS. In this study, the pressure control equipment of the ASNSS was effectively developed to prepare desired copper nanocrystalline particles with well-controlled size.