PROFORM
Transforming
Nanoparticles into Sustainable Consumer Products
through Advanced Product and Process Formulation
Major Achievements
Project
Achievements
Some of the achievements so far include:
- identification of standard methods and protocols for characterising nano-particles and nanoparticle dispersions including techniques required for further development
- a databank of generic information for characterising these particles (e.g. wettability, porosity, particle size distribution, surface free energy, particle morphology)
- identification of the mechanisms of the break up of nanoparticle clusters
- assessment of the performance of a range of process equipment for the break up of nano-particle clusters
- models describing the dispersion of nano-particles in a liquid medium
- models describing the rheology of nanoparticle dispersions
- evaluation of the effects of the chemical composition of the liquid medium on the break up of nanoparticle clusters
- numercial models for the kinetics of sub-processes, fluid flow and mixing
Further work is underway to develop design guides.
Picture: Example results from numerical simulations showing particle concentration profiles using an in-line rotor stator.