Synthesis and characterization of spherical amorphous alumo-silicate nanoparticles using RF thermal plasma method

The RF thermal plasma synthesis route was used for the preparation of alumo-silicate spherical particles. Homogeneous solid mixtures of raw materials (Al2O3, SiO2 and KOH) were used as precursors. SiO2 powders with different particle sizes (6 μm and 40 μm) were taken for this synthesis. For the characterization of obtained materials, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTA) were used. Nanosized amorphous ceramic particles were formed via two-step RF thermal plasma processing. It was demonstrated that the size of the SiO2 particles plays a significant role in the formation of the alumo-silicate nanoparticles.