2009 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 13s-16s
Fe nanoparticles were prepared by DC arc plasma method under Ar, Ar-50%H2 or H2 flow. The arc plasma was well constricted due to thermal pinch effect when Ar-50%H2 or H2 was used, and the generation ration of the Fe nanoparticles was significantly enhanced with the pinched arc. Our numerical simulation indicated that the Fe anode can be efficiently heated (close to boiling point of Fe) due to the thermal pinch effect, and thereby the generation ratio can be increased. Since the thermal pinch effect enhanced the arc flow velocity as well, the size of the resulting Fe nanoparticles was also influenced.
