Synthesis of nanostructured materials using supercritical CO2: Part I. Physical transformations

Nanostructured materials have been attracting increased attention for a wide variety of applications due to their superior properties compared to their bulk counterparts. Current methods to synthesize nanostructured materials have various drawbacks such as difficulties in control of the nanostructure and morphology, excessive use of solvents, abundant energy consumption, and costly purification steps. Supercritical fluids especially supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is an attractive medium for the synthesis of nanostructured materials due to its favorable properties such as being abundant, inexpensive, non-flammable, non-toxic, and environmentally benign. Furthermore, the thermophysical properties of scCO2 can be adjusted by changing the processing temperature and pressure. The synthesis of nanostructured materials in scCO2 can be classified as physical and chemical transformations. In this article, Part I of our review series, synthesis of nanostructured materials using physical transformations is described where scCO2 functions as a solvent, an anti-solvent or as a solute. The nanostructured materials, which can be synthesized by these techniques include nanoparticles, nanowires, nanofibers, foams, aerogels, and polymer nanocomposites. scCO2 based processes can also be utilized in the intensification of the conventional processes by elimination of some of the costly purification or separation steps. The fundamental aspects of the processes, which would be beneficial for further development of the technologies, are also reviewed.