Event
ChBE Seminar Series: Sheryl Ehrman
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Room 2110, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Bldg.
Professor F. Joseph Schork
fjschork@umd.edu
Nanoparticles, Nanoporous Films and Nanonecks: Adventures in Particle Science and Technology
Presented by Sheryl Ehrman
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
University of Maryland
Powders synthesized by aerosol routes are ubiquitous, found in paint, tires, and even foods. In contrast to highly monodisperse nanosized particles that can be formed by colloidal routes, particles made by aerosol processes tend to be agglomerated and fractal-like in structure. While perhaps not as pleasing to the eye, these materials are of great commercial value. In this presentation, an overview of aerosol processing for materials synthesis will be given and research activities in our laboratory will be reviewed with a focus on recent investigations into the study of macroscale nanoparticle-based materials including high surface area films made from agglomerates formed by an aerosol route. Commonly, annealing is used to strengthen films made of nanoparticles, but at a cost of lost surface area. In this presentation, an alternate approach to interconnection via capillary condensation will be described with a specific focus on the phenomenon of capillary condensation at "nanonecks", the neck region between nanoparticles.
