On the fluidization of cohesive powders: Differences and similarities between micro- and nano-sized particle gas–solid fluidization

The fluidization of cohesive powders has been extensively researched over the years. When looking at literature on the fluidization of cohesive particles, one will often find papers concerned with only micro- or only nano-sized powders. It is, however, unclear whether they should be treated differently at all. In this paper, we look at...

Nature–Inspired self–cleaning surfaces: Mechanisms, modelling, and manufacturing

Nature-inspired self-cleaning surfaces have attracted considerable attention from both fundamental research and practical applications. This review adopts a chemical-engineering point of view and focuses on mechanisms, modelling, and manufacturing (M3) of nature-inspired self-cleaning surfaces. We will introduce six nature-inspired self...

Bridging the scales in high-throughput dielectrophoretic (bio-)particle separation in porous media

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a versatile technique for the solution of difficult (bio-)particle separation tasks based on size and material. Particle motion by DEP requires a highly inhomogeneous electric field. Thus, the throughput of classical DEP devices is limited by restrictions on the channel size to achieve large enough gradients. Here,...

Modeling the size distribution in a fluidized bed of nanopowder

Fluidization is a technique used to process large quantities of nanopowder with no solvent waste and a large gas–solid contact area. Nonetheless, nanoparticles in the gas phase form clusters, called agglomerates, due to the relatively large adhesion forces. The dynamics within the fluidized bed influence the mechanism of formation, and thus,...

Contact Forces between Single Metal Oxide Nanoparticles in Gas-Phase Applications and Processes

In this work we present a comprehensive experimental study to determine the contact forces between individual metal oxide nanoparticles in the gas-phase using atomic force microscopy. In addition, we determined the amount of physisorbed water for each type of particle surface. By comparing our results with mathematical models of the...

Contact mechanics of highly porous oxide nanoparticle agglomerates

Efficient nanopowder processing requires knowledge of the powder’s mechanical properties. Due to the large surface area to volume ratio, nanoparticles experience relatively strong attractive interactions, leading to the formation of micron-size porous structures called agglomerates. Significant effort has been directed towards the development of...