(157e) Mixing of Nanosized Particles by Magnetically Assisted Impaction Mixing in Dry and Fluid Suspension

Mixtures of nanoparticles and nanocomposites, manufactured using nanoparticles as building blocks, have unique properties owing to small particle/grain size, and large interface area between individual nano-sized constituents. These properties have a great potential to improve performance of drugs, biomaterials, catalysts, energetic materials etc. However, to fully employ this potential, nanoparticles should be mixed at nanoscale level, which is a difficult task because they tend to form aggregates on the order of microns. Therefore, a major challenge in utilizing nanoparticles is to achieve their mixing at nano-scale level.

The objective of this study is to explore the homogeneity of nanoparticle mixtures obtained using a unique mixing technique, Magnetically Assisted Impact Mixing (MAIM). In this technique, nanopowders are placed along with sub-millimeter sized magnets in a container with water or air. The container is placed inside a coil producing an oscillating magnetic field where the magnets undergo rotational and translational motion. The motion of the magnets promote rearrangements of nano-particles between agglomerates of different materials, mixing them at scales below the aggregate size. Multiple parameters were studied to optimize the MAIM process: magnet size, magnet to sample weight ratio, mixing time, and electromagnetic field strength. The characterization of the resulting nanoparticle mixtures were conducted using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS).