Evolution of MoO3 nanobelts and nanoplatelets formation with flame synthesis

A co-flow premixed flat flame is applied to form MoO3 nanobelts and nanoplatelets in the gas phase. An experimental study is conducted with a thermophoretic sampling particle diagnostic (TSPD) technique to reconstruct the evolution of nanostructure formation. In order to investigate the growth mechanism of the nanobelts and nanoplatelets, samples were directly taken along the centerline at different positions in the flame to represent the essential morphological variations of material. Based on the sample information collected by TEM, a growth mechanism of nanobelts and nanoplatelets is proposed. The results indicate that nanobelts and nanoplatelets with well-defined structure are successfully synthesized in premixed flame. The precursor temperature has a significant impact on the morphology by affecting the vapor concentration in the flame. For synthetic nanobelts, the intermediate particles tend to grow along a specific direction with small surface energy, and the final morphology is determined by particle attachment. In contrast, the initial growth of the nanoplatelets is mainly characterized by vapor surface deposition/growth, and the formation of the final morphology relies on the coalescence of large particles and small particles. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Combustion Institute.