Electrospray flow rate influenced the sized of functionalized soot nanoparticles

Abstract

A common method in the synthesis of functionalized carbon particles such as laser ablation of graphite required time and complicated method. Therefore, electrospraying method was used to synthesize functionalized candle soot particles. Electrospraying method uses electric force to produce monodispersed micro and nanoparticles. Thus, the flow rates and voltages were manipulated to investigate the size of functionalized soot particles and Taylor cone-jet formation. In this study, soot was collected through direct burning of candles and functionalized with 1 M of nitric acid in 9 hr. The electrospray was set up at 27°C by applied high voltage 6.6 to 8.7 kV to the needle (23 G) with an internal diameter of 0.34 mm, aluminum foil as a collector, and tip to collector distance of 10 cm. The process parameters were manipulated by varying the flow rate from 0.3, 0.5, and 0.8 to 1.0 ml/hr. The functionalized soot particles size and morphology were examined using a digital microscope and processed using ImageJ software. The particles diameter increased from 1.23 up to 2.46 μm when the flow rate increased from 0.3 to 1.0 ml/hr. This is due to increase volume of solution ejected from the needle, which inhibits the solvent from evaporating.