ABSTRACT
The size of nanoparticles gives a high surface-to-volume ratio which increases the surface energy compared to the bulk materials. The high surface-to-volume ratio and the quantum effects provide nanoparticles with more special mechanical, chemical, optical, and magnetic properties than bulk. Liquid/solution processing is a wet chemical synthesis technique for producing nanoparticles by gelation, precipitation, and hydrothermal treatment. Use of surfactants reduces the contamination problems of mechanical attrition and can be useful for large-scale production of nanoparticles with the use of inexpensive and trouble-free machinery. The kinetics of plasma nanoparticles has been proposed by A. Bouchoule and L. Boufendi in a three-phase model system. It consists of nucleation of the nanoparticle, cluster and nanoparticle agglomeration/coagulation, and nanoparticle surface growth. Nanoparticle synthesis using plasma is an emerging new class of technique that holds the promise of facilitating breakthrough innovations in almost all energy market segments.
