Making complex nanomaterials with electrified atomic vapor

Vapor-phase synthesis converts materials by vaporizing and then returning them to solid form, either as particles or as thin coatings. The challenge, though, is that doing so in atmospheric conditions and being able to control the properties of the final product is tricky. That’s partly because some materials have particularly high boiling points, which require the addition of complex, high-power systems, such as electron beams, plasma, and pulsed lasers. These systems are costly to purchase and maintain. Further, to achieve optimal results, many conventional methods require vacuum pressure, which are also expensive and difficult to maintain.

The Hu lab, though, has solved for this through a new method they call electrified vapor deposition (EVD). Essentially, it uses an electrified carbon paper heater to quickly reach extremely high temperatures, which instantly vaporizes and dissociates the material and creates atomic vapor. When this atomic vapor mixes with the surrounding argon gas (kept at room-temperature), it rapidly cools and nucleates in a way that’s highly uniform. This results in pure nanomaterial products and thin films with excellent compositional and structural control. Critical to this method is that the system is specifically designed for continuous flow and rapid cooling of the vapor.