Product engineering by high-temperature flame synthesis

High-temperature flame processes can be applied as a tool for chemical product engineering. The general principle behind flame synthesis is the decomposition/oxidation of evaporated metal-precursors in a flame, thereby forming metal oxide monomers which nucleate, aggregate, and - to some extent also - coalescence of aggregated metal oxide nano-particles. As an example, it is possible produce well-defined spinel structures, e.g. zinc-aluminate (ZnAl2O4), with high specific surface area because the desired phase is formed directly without any need for post calcination. The production of other materials, e.g. MgAl2O4, CuAl2O4, and supported noble metals like Pt/TiO2 and Au/TiO2 is possible by adding noble metal precursors to the flow of precursors. For “normal” applications, i.e. the production of composite materials and catalysts, the product particles are collected on filters, but the hot product gas can be applied directly in additional product engineering concepts. A brief overview of on-going product developments and product engineering projects is outlined below. These projects, which are all founded on flame synthesis of nano-structured materials, include: • Preparation of catalyzed hardware by direct deposition of catalysts on process equipment • Modifications of the substrate surfaces to obtain good adhesion during flame-coating • Formation of membrane layers by gas-phase deposition of nano-particles • Catalyst deposition in micro-reactors for rapid catalyst screening