Recently, Wu Hui's research group at Tsinghua University has successfully developed a continuous rotating electrodeposition (Rotating Electrodeposition and Separation, REDS) synthesis device that combines electrodeposition and exfoliation technology. The device uses an electrochemical reduction process to deposit nanoparticles on a continuous rotating electrode. The surface of the substrate is then mechanically stripped to obtain dispersed metal nanomaterials. REDS technology provides a controllable, scalable, green and low-cost new method for preparing high-quality nanoparticles.
Research highlights:
1. A general method suitable for synthesizing nano-materials of various materials such as metal element, alloy and metal oxide
2. The process of high-speed rotation can controllably adjust the nucleation and growth process of nanoparticles and control the size and shape of the material
3. Replacing the traditional chemical liquid phase reduction method with the roll-to-roll electrodeposition process can reduce about 90% of the processing cost in the industrial production of silver nanoparticles.
Research Background:
The controllable synthesis of metal nanoparticles is very important for basic scientific research and practical industrial applications. At present, the commonly used method for synthesizing metal nanoparticles is chemical reduction. In actual industrial production, the processing process from metal bulk materials to metal nanomaterials requires two steps: the dissolution of the metal bulk into metal salts and the reduction of metal salts into nanomaterials. Need to use a lot of reagents and surfactants, and will generate a lot of solid and liquid waste. A green, controllable technology that can produce high-quality metal nanoparticles on a large scale is very important for industrial applications and sustainable development.
Synthesis of Metal Silver Nanoparticles with Adjustable Size and Shape by REDS Method
In the REDS method, the high-speed rotation process controls the nucleation growth time of the material and the mass transfer rate and reaction rate during the electrodeposition process, which can further control the size and morphology of the material, providing a controllable synthesis of a variety of different nanomaterials. A new idea.
The adhesion between the electrodeposited material and the substrate is weak and easy to peel off
By selecting a suitable substrate, the adhesion between the electrodeposited silver nanoparticles and the stainless steel substrate is sufficiently small, in the order of 10-9 N, to ensure that the silver nanomaterials are easy to peel and collect. And because the required peel strength is very low, the collection process does not damage the silver nanomaterial and the substrate surface.
Printable silver electronic paste
The silver spherical nanoparticles synthesized by the REDS method can be used to prepare conductive pastes with excellent performance for printing electronic devices such as near field communication labels and touch screen panels.
A universal method for synthesizing multiple materials
The REDS method is suitable for the synthesis of many different metal-based nanomaterials, including metal elemental nanoparticles (such as Ag, Au, Ni, Cu), alloy nanoparticles (such as FeCoNi and FeCoNiW) and metal oxide nanomaterials (such as Co3O4), etc. .