Mechanics of Materials Commons^™

Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized By Nonthermal Plasma For Electrochemical Applications, Qinyi Chen

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Metal oxide nanocrystals can be synthesized by colloidal processing and gas-phase processing routes. High-quality nanocrystals produced by colloidal routes typically have surface ligands. Transport of electrons and ions among nanocrystals is hindered by surface ligand, and degrades related electrical performance. Gas-phase processing, for example combustion and thermal plasma, can make free-standing nanocrystals. However, nanocrystals produced by combustion method are heavily agglomerated, which further limits the usage of nanoparticles in electrochemical applications. Nonthermal plasma, as an emerging attractive route, has been initially focused on the synthesis of elemental group IV materials, and extended to include the synthesis of multicomponent materials, such …