ABSTRACT
We examine the quantum confinement in the photoemission ionization energy in air and optical band gap of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs). Premixed, stretched-stabilized ethylene flames are used to generate the CNPs reproducibly over the range of 4-23 nm in volume median diameter. The results reveal that flame-formed CNPs behave like an indirect band gap material, and that the existence of the optical band gap is attributed to the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gap in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons comprising the CNPs. Both the ionization energy and optical band gap are found to follow closely the quantum confinement effect. The optical band gaps, measured both in situ and ex situ on the CNPs prepared in several additional flames, are consistent with the theory and the baseline data of CNPs from stretched-stabilized ethylene flames, thus indicating the observed effect to be general and that the particle size is the single most important factor governing the variation of the band gap of the CNPs studied. Cyclic voltammetry measurements and density functional theory calculations provide additional support for the quantum dot behavior observed.
ABSTRACT
Momentum accommodation is a key factor governing the transport of particles in gases from electric mobility and Brownian diffusion to thermophoresis. This paper explores the relationship between momentum accommodation of nanoparticles in dilute gases and surface adsorption. We demonstrate that the momentum accommodation factor is fundamentally equal to the probability of surface adsorption. Molecular dynamics simulations show that surface adsorption is the key mechanism behind the diffuse scattering model, and that upon gas-particle collision the immediate reflection dynamics and surface adsorption events are governed by the kinetic energy distribution of the rebounding gas molecules. This distribution determines the transition of the dominant mode of molecular scattering off a particle surface from diffuse to specular elastic reflection as the particle approaches the realm of molecular size. The kinetics and equilibrium of physisorption are examined to shed light on the effect of the lifetime of surface adsorbates on momentum transfer. A statistical treatment is proposed for the adsorption and hence the gas-nanoparticle momentum accommodation coefficient. The validity of the theoretical treatment is examined by comparing its prediction against experimental mobility data of silver nanoparticles.
ABSTRACT
Nano-scale titanium oxide (TiO2 ) is a material useful for a wide range of applications. In a previous study, we showed that TiO2 nanoparticles of both rutile and anatase crystal phases could be synthesized over the size range of 5 to 20â nm in flame-assisted chemical vapor deposition. Rutile was unexpectedly dominant in oxygen-lean synthesis conditions, whereas anatase is the preferred phase in oxygen-rich gases. The observation is in contrast to the 14â nm rutile-anatase crossover size derived from the existing crystal-phase equilibrium model. In the present work, we made additional measurements over a wider range of synthesis conditions; the results confirm the earlier observations. We propose an improved model for the surface energy that considers the role of oxygen desorption at high temperatures. The model successfully explains the observations made in the current and previous work. The current results provide a useful path to designing flame-assisted chemical vapor deposition of TiO2 nanocrystals with controllable crystal phases.
ABSTRACT
Analytical expressions are derived for aerodynamic drag force on small cylinders in the free molecule flow using the gas-kinetic theory. The derivation considers the effect of intermolecular interactions between the cylinder and gas media. Two limiting collision models, specular and diffuse scattering, are investigated in two limiting cylinder orientations with respect to the drift velocity. The earlier solution of Dahneke [B. E. Dahneke, J. Aerosol Sci. 4, 147 (1973)10.1016/0021-8502(73)90066-9] is shown to be a special case of the current expressions in the rigid-body limit of collision. Drag force expressions are obtained for cylinders that undergo Brownian rotation and for those that align with the drift velocity. The validity of the theoretical expressions is tested against experimental mobility data available for carbon nanotubes.
ABSTRACT
Binary diffusion coefficients were measured for n-pentane, n-hexane, and n-octane in helium and of n-pentane in nitrogen over the temperature range of 300 to 600 K, using reversed-flow gas chromatography. A generalized, analytical theory is proposed for the binary diffusion coefficients of long-chain molecules in simple diluent gases, taking advantage of a recently developed gas-kinetic theory of the transport properties of nanoslender bodies in dilute free-molecular flows. The theory addresses the long-standing question about the applicability of the Chapman-Enskog theory in describing the transport properties of nonspherical molecular structures, or equivalently, the use of isotropic potentials of interaction for a roughly cylindrical molecular structure such as large normal alkanes. An approximate potential energy function is proposed for the intermolecular interaction of long-chain n-alkane with typical bath gases. Using this potential and the analytical theory for nanoslender bodies, we show that the diffusion coefficients of n-alkanes in typical bath gases can be treated by the resulting analytical model accurately, especially for compounds larger than n-butane.
