Mass production of aluminium and aluminum oxide nanoparticles by electrical explosion of wire

Aluminum nanoparticles (AlNPs) and aluminum oxide (AlONPs) nanoparticles were selectively produced in large quantities by the electrical explosion of wire (EEW) process in different conditions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), laser particle size analyzing, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were carried out to characterize the purity, morphology, particle and crystallite size of the nanoparticles. The effects of wire diameter, feed rate, electrode distance, pulse time, voltage, carrier gas pressure, and fan pressure in the exploding wire chamber on the particle size were analyzed by a preliminary Taguchi design of experiment. The results show that the wire diameter, feed rate, pulse time, voltage, and electrode distance are the main five factors. An ultimate response surface methodology (RSM) design showed the particle size increases with decreasing voltage and increasing other factors.