In nanoparticle synthesis, gas phase methods, especially flame based methods, are widely used. Liquid Flame Spray (LFS) is one of those, the difference from other flame techniques being mainly the selection of combustion gases providing high temperature, hydrogen and oxygen, and their specific use in liquid atomization. The high temperature allows us to use a great variety of precursor materials. Presently, LFS is used in particle generation for several applications, mostly coating by particle deposition. The particle size in coatings can be adjusted with the process parameters.

One of the applications is fabrication of anti-microbial and self-cleaning surfaces. In this application, we generate TiO2-Ag particles in one step process and deposit them directly on ceramic tiles. The coatings are then characterized using several analysis methods. Transmission Electron Micrographs show that the composite particles consist of TiO2 (anatase) particles sized around 20 nm, with metallic Ag particles with the size of few nanometres on top.

Another application of LFS is its use in etching mask fabrication. SiO2 nanoparticles with size around 100 nm, are deposited from the flame directly on a silicon wafer. Coatings with coverage of less than 100 % can be easily prepared using LFS technique. Here it is essential to have a small coverage and randomly distributed particles for the patterning of the wafer.

Glass colouring is one of the most fascinating applications where LFS method can be used. Metallic and oxide nanoparticles create a specific colour in glass, depending on the particle size. Glass can be coloured in many ways, both in bulk and on surface. The overwhelming property of LFS is that it generates a coloured thin layer on the surface of the glass, creating a visual veil effect. This kind of veil cannot be produced by any other method. The recent studies have concentrated on producing gold particles, commonly known to create red colour with particle size of 50 nm.

• Legal notice:
  

  Copyright (c) Pielaszek Research, all rights reserved.
  The above materials, including auxiliary resources, are subject to Publisher's copyright and the Author(s) intellectual rights. Without limiting Author(s) rights under respective Copyright Transfer Agreement, no part of the above documents may be reproduced without the express written permission of Pielaszek Research, the Publisher. Express permission from the Author(s) is required to use the above materials for academic purposes, such as lectures or scientific presentations.
  In every case, proper references including Author(s) name(s) and URL of this webpage: https://science24.com/paper/11578 must be provided.

1. The Effect of Process Parameters on the Liquid Flame Spray Generated Titania Nanoparticles