Thermal plasma technology: synthesis of nanoparticles

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Thermal plasma technology is a high technology area which fits perfectly with Quebec's enviable position in abundant hydroelectric energy. Thermal plasmas are a highly effective way of producing nanoparticles (metallic, ceramic and intermetallic) and we have demonstrated their use in several systems (Ni, Cu, Al, SiO2, TiN). In the present proposal we will focus on the synthesis of ceramic nanoparticles in two competing systemc (transferred arc and induction coupled plasmas) to allow an assessment to be made of the most promising technology. Specifically we will study the synthesis of stable nanosized titania stabilized with silica. The challenge is to maintain the high photocatalytic activity of this material while applying it in relatively high temperature systems. As in our previous work, the major focus is on reactor design and scale up. Industrial production requires powers of hundreds of kW to MW while most experimental work has been at the sub 50 kW scale. We will build on past modelling and experimental work.