Modeling metallic nanoparticle synthesis in a magnetron-based nanocluster source by gas condensation of a sputtered vapor

Copper nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by inert-gas condensation of a sputtered metallic vapor using a dedicated commercial reactor. By controlling the time of residence of NPs in the carrier gas phase via the tuning of the collision path length, Cu NPs were produced. They exhibit various and well controlled diameters (3-10 nm) and a relatively narrow size dispersion. On the basis of these experimental results, a detailed modeling of NP nucleation and growth based on the classical nucleation theory was developed. It takes into account the peculiar geometry and thermal profile of the NP reactor. The simulated curves, calculated by a MATLAB (R) program developed for that purpose, exhibit a good qualitative agreement with experiment. Moreover, they highlight the role of process parameters and the strong influence of the reactor temperature profile on the NP size distribution. In the future, such calculations could be used for the optimization of the NP source design in order to increase its efficiency and reproducibility. c 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3310420]