The Production of Samarium-Cobalt Nanoparticles Using a Spark Discharge Generator
(2019) FYSM30 20182Solid State Physics
Department of Physics
- Abstract
- In this project I attempt to press custom electrodes from Sm and Co powder using two different pressing tools. I investigate if custom electrodes can generate nanoparticles with tailored properties using a spark discharge generator (SDG). Three different sources of the nanoparticle material will be considered, pressed Sm and Co powder, pure Sm and Co electrodes and alloyed SmCo made from demagnetized magnets. The nanoparticles produced were analysed using tandem DMA to investigate the size distribution, concentration, thermal charging and oxidation of the particles. The particles were compacted and deposited using an ESP so that SEM analysis could be performed to examine the morphology and TEM/EDX to learn about the particle's elemental... (More)
- In this project I attempt to press custom electrodes from Sm and Co powder using two different pressing tools. I investigate if custom electrodes can generate nanoparticles with tailored properties using a spark discharge generator (SDG). Three different sources of the nanoparticle material will be considered, pressed Sm and Co powder, pure Sm and Co electrodes and alloyed SmCo made from demagnetized magnets. The nanoparticles produced were analysed using tandem DMA to investigate the size distribution, concentration, thermal charging and oxidation of the particles. The particles were compacted and deposited using an ESP so that SEM analysis could be performed to examine the morphology and TEM/EDX to learn about the particle's elemental composition. The production of pressed SmCo electrodes was unsuccessful, but stainless steel electrodes were pressed, and it is hoped that custom electrodes can be produced using an improved tool. Compositional analysis of SmCo particles made from pure Sm and Co and alloyed electrodes both contained Sm and Co, but the internal elemental composition and morphology differed. The ability to produce nanoparticles with desirable properties using an SDG is good. Nanoparticles with tailored properties have potential to be generated and have a number of important applications in biomedicine. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- Aerosol physics is a key field of interest for scientific research. It covers a range of important scientific areas on the scale of the planets atmospheric conditions to the use of nanoparticles to treat cancer. Nanoparticles have incredible potential to change the lives of humans throughout the world.
Nanoscience and technology is an evolving field of research that has the potential to change the lives of people all around the world. Nanotechnology describes structures such as nanoparticles on the scale of a nanometer which is one billionth of a meter, a size comparable to that of atoms. Nanoparticles of this size are interesting because they gain properties that are otherwise impossible for larger objects. Innovations as a result of... (More) - Aerosol physics is a key field of interest for scientific research. It covers a range of important scientific areas on the scale of the planets atmospheric conditions to the use of nanoparticles to treat cancer. Nanoparticles have incredible potential to change the lives of humans throughout the world.
Nanoscience and technology is an evolving field of research that has the potential to change the lives of people all around the world. Nanotechnology describes structures such as nanoparticles on the scale of a nanometer which is one billionth of a meter, a size comparable to that of atoms. Nanoparticles of this size are interesting because they gain properties that are otherwise impossible for larger objects. Innovations as a result of nanoscience have already been implemented in a number of consumer devices such as in electronics, filtration systems and medical devices. Magnetic nanoparticles are a relatively new tool and can be manipulated in unique ways making them an area of interest with intriguing potentials.
Magnetic nanoparticles are likely to be produced from a combination of elements such as samarium and cobalt. A good method to create nanoparticles from a combination of materials is to have a spark between two metal rods. These rods can be made by pressing together powder of the desired elements into solid metallic rods. The spark between the rods is very hot creating a plasma which cools into nanoparticles which are a mixture of the elements used in the rods. These nanoparticles can be collected to study their shape and understand how they change when using different gases and at different temperatures.
A spark discharge generator is a powerful machine which has an array of components to control the production of particles. The SDG also has a number of tools to help to understand nanoparticles after they have been created.
Nanoparticles, as the name suggests are very small and thus normal light microscope cannot resolve the fine details of the particles. An electron microscope can resolve nanoparticles so a scanning electron microscope is used to understand the shapes of the particles. A transmission electron microscope can penetrate the particles giving information on which materials the nanoparticles are made of.
Magnetic nanoparticles have many exciting applications such as being used to in experimental cancer treatments. Magnetic nanoparticles can be manipulated to parts of the body where the cancer is present and heated up to safely destroy the cancer cells. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8994160
- author
- Lewis, Timothy LU
- supervisor
-
- Maria Messing LU
- Calle Preger LU
- organization
- course
- FYSM30 20182
- year
- 2019
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 8994160
- date added to LUP
- 2019-09-04 17:09:03
- date last changed
- 2019-09-04 17:09:03
@misc{8994160,
abstract = {{In this project I attempt to press custom electrodes from Sm and Co powder using two different pressing tools. I investigate if custom electrodes can generate nanoparticles with tailored properties using a spark discharge generator (SDG). Three different sources of the nanoparticle material will be considered, pressed Sm and Co powder, pure Sm and Co electrodes and alloyed SmCo made from demagnetized magnets. The nanoparticles produced were analysed using tandem DMA to investigate the size distribution, concentration, thermal charging and oxidation of the particles. The particles were compacted and deposited using an ESP so that SEM analysis could be performed to examine the morphology and TEM/EDX to learn about the particle's elemental composition. The production of pressed SmCo electrodes was unsuccessful, but stainless steel electrodes were pressed, and it is hoped that custom electrodes can be produced using an improved tool. Compositional analysis of SmCo particles made from pure Sm and Co and alloyed electrodes both contained Sm and Co, but the internal elemental composition and morphology differed. The ability to produce nanoparticles with desirable properties using an SDG is good. Nanoparticles with tailored properties have potential to be generated and have a number of important applications in biomedicine.}},
author = {{Lewis, Timothy}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The Production of Samarium-Cobalt Nanoparticles Using a Spark Discharge Generator}},
year = {{2019}},
}