Stijn Put

Influence of processing parameters on the properties of silicon nanoparticles synthesized by radio-frequency induction thermal plasma

Summary form only given. Silicon nanopowders have been synthesized from micrometric Si precursors using lab-scale radio-frequency induction thermal plasma (RF-ITP) system. The latter is composed of a commercial inductively coupled plasma torch (Tekna PL-35) mounted on a reaction chamber characterized by a cylindrical geometry [1, 2] under soft vacuum. Nanopowder samples have been collected at different positions in the reaction chamber and in the filter at the outlet of the reactor and successively characterized using a particle size analyzer and BET analysis. The influence of processing parameters of the RF-ITP system (power level, pressure and powder feed rate) on size distribution and surface area of the synthesized nanopowders has been investigated.