2. Chemical Vapor Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Oxides

The generation of nanoparticles in the gas phase by Chemical Vapor Synthesis (CVS) may be described from the point of view of chemical engineering as a sequence of unit operations among which reactant delivery, reaction energy input, and product separation are key processes which determine the product characteristics and quality required by the applications of nanoparticles and powders. In case of CVS, the volatility of the reactants (precursors) may severely limit the possible type of products as well as the production rate. It is shown that these limits can be lifted by use of a laser flash evaporator which also enables the use of precursor mixtures for the production of complex oxides as shown for Co-doped ZnO and the pulsed operation to influence powder characteristics. The mode in which energy is supplied to the particle synthesis reactor has also substantial influence on particle and powder characteristics as is shown for TiO\(_{2}\) using different time-temperatureprofiles.