Powder processing and Synthesis

Overview of Plasma Processing and Synthesis

Thermal plasma processing and thermal plasma synthesis of powder and nanopowder for high-tech applications is gaining momentum, not only in research, but in industrial applications as well.  High temperature gas-phase chemistry within thermal  plasma  environment becomes an attractive route for powder and nanopowder synthesis. The  supersaturation of vapour species is the driving force for particle condensation, resulting in the  production of ultrafine particles by homogeneous  nucleation.  Carbides, nitrides, oxides and complex solid solutions have been successfully synthesized in thermal plasma reactors based on high intensity arcs, DC plasma jets and rf inductively coupled plasmas.

The most commonly used reactants for plasma synthesis are solids.  In some plasma torches the injection process suffers because of the high viscosity or momentum of the  plasma. Mettech's Axial III plasma torch offers the solution for these types of obstacles.

A liquid injection method overcomes  the problems associated with  solid  injection for powder synthesis. Still, the liquid injection method has encountered the same obstacle - penetration of droplets in the plasma plume. Mettech have developed a Suspension Plasma Spray process which can be used for thermal spray coatings, or for powder processing and synthesis. Read our Blog to learn about Mettech's approach. Due to the unique design of Axial III plasma gun, we are able to inject liquid solutions in the form of fine droplets.

Powder processing
Mettech's technology for powder processing enables:

• synthesis of meta-stable, fine and ultra-fine powders with unique properties
• powder melting and spheroidization, to improve flowability, increase density and spheroidize the particles
• spray drying and calcination in one step, for some materials, or agglomeration and subsequent densification and calcination for other materials

Our powder processing technology enables conversion of a low-cost, low-quality powder into a high-value-added product. We have turned many hard-to-feed powders into flowable, plasma spray grade powders.

Powder synthesis
Mettech's plasma synthesis technology enables powder synthesis from liquid solutions and through the gas-phase route, by evaporation of solid or liquid precursors and fast quenching to ensure condensation of vapours at nano-scale.

We have also synthesized fine powders of a unique phase composition, which by other methods, is prohibitively expensive or technically unfeasible.