A procedure for producing valuable nanopowders by mechanosynthesis has been developed at the Tomsk Scientific Center of the SB RAS

Scientists (TSC SB RAS) determined optimal modes for the mechanochemical synthesis of spinel cobalt ferrite nanopowders with desired characteristics using complex theoretical calculations and experimental data. The study is published in the high ranked journal Ceramics International (UK, Elsevier).

– Our analytical approach optimizes the experimental research. If previously some experiments required the use of complex computer codes, now simple analytical formulas can estimate the influence of one or another initial parameter, such as the energy intensity of the mill and the mass of the mixture on the product yield. This approach can be used to calculate the yield of many popular nanopowders produced by mechanical treatment, – explains Oleg Lapshin, Head of the Laboratory of Mathematical Modelling of Physical and Chemical Processes in Heterogeneous Systems (TSC SB RAS).

Mechanochemical synthesis is a method of processing materials, when the desired product, such as nanopowders with required characteristics, can be obtained using only mechanical treatment.

In the first step of the study, the research team, including Oleg Lapshin, Anna Nevmyvaka, Volya Itin and Oksana Ivanova, developed a mathematical model for mechanochemical synthesis of nanopowders in a high-energy mill. The system of equations involving structural, temperature and kinetic factors determines the optimal mechanochemical treatment for a powder mixture to achieve the maximum nanoproduct yield.

In the second step of the study, theoretical calculations were confirmed by the experiment. Using a planetary mill, the researchers synthesized spinel cobalt ferrite nanopowder with a uniform crystal structure and morphology. This light brown powder is used in medicine, and also in computer engineering and radio electronics as a magnet.