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Proven Nanoparticle Dispersion Technology
High shear forces created by ultrasonic cavitation have the ability to break up particle agglomerates and result in smaller and more uniform particles sizes. The stable and homogenous suspensions produced by ultrasonics are widely used in many industries today. Probe sonication is highly effective for processing nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes, graphene, inks, metal oxides, etc.) and Sonicators have become the industry standard for:
- Dispersing
- Deagglomerating
- Particle size reduction
- Particle synthesis and precipitation
- Surface functionalization
Probe Sonicators Outperform Ultrasonic Cleaner Baths for Nanoparticle Dispersion
Probe sonication is significantly more powerful and effective when compared to ultrasonic cleaner baths for nanoparticle applications. A cleaner bath requires hours to accomplish what a probe Sonicator can do in minutes. Sonicators can create a stable dispersion that can remain in suspension for many months as evidenced in this article excerpt:
Dispersions in vials (a) have coagulated carbon nanotubes in the body and at the bottom by means of bath sonication for 8 hours, (b) appear free-homogenous with probe sonication for 3 minutes, and (c) keep free-homogenous even after 4 months of sitting at room temperature. The concentration of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) is 2500 mg/L and the Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs)/SDS ration is 1:10. (d) Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) of (c) was diluted to 25 mg/L with deionized water.
It is clear that Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) are not completely soluble in water by using bath Sonicator for 8 hours; there was much sedimentation of MWCNTs at the bottom of a small bottle (Fig. a). Upon operating 20 kHz applied by a probe Sonicator, the MWCNTs are entirely dispersive in aqueous solution, forming a homogeneous-free solution (Fig. b). Remarkably, there is no sedimentation observed even after four months of sitting at room temperature (Fig. c).
Sonicators Effectively Disperse Many Types of Particles
The image on the left, taken from the article "Stability of metal oxide nanoparticles in aqueous solutions" from the journal Water Science & Technology, shows slow reaggregation of three metal oxide nanoparticles following Sonication. Per the authors: "These results indicate that ultrasonication can effectively disperse NPs in water." The study tested several dispersion methods, and found that "ultrasonication was found to be the most effective for disaggregating nanoparticles in water."
Note that reaggregation time for any substance will depend greatly on its chemistry.
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Nanotechnology Publications and Protocols
Nanoparticle Dispersion Publications and Protocols
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Tips & Info for Nanoparticle Dispersion
- Higher amplitudes and longer run times will break down aggregated nanoparticles into smaller particle sizes.
- Be sure to use an appropriately sized probe. Smaller probes have higher amplitudes which can help create smaller nanoparticle sizes, but will be insufficient to effectively process larger volumes. Do not use a larger probe than necessary, nor a smaller probe than the volume calls for.
- Smaller particle sizes will generally have longer residence time in suspension.
- Smaller particle sizes will generally have longer residence time in suspension.
- The duration which your particles will remain aggregated also depends on their chemistry with the solvent and other compounds present.
- To prevent sedimentation or reaggregation for periods of time not achievable by dispersion alone, it may be necessary to use a surfactant or other stabilizing agent.
- For general best practices, see Best Practices for Ultrasonic Homogenization.
