Iron Nanoparticle Production by the Method of Electric Explosion of Wire

Background: The widespread use of iron nanopowders is connected with a wide range of characteristics such as size, magnetic characteristics and high surface area and that is why many researches present its different applications in the literature. Objective: The work studies the influence of the conditions for the iron wire electrical explosion on the course of the explosion process and the dispersed composition of the resulting metal nanopowder. Methods: Experiments on the electrical explosion of iron wires were carried out in the laboratory setup with the different initial conditions of the electrical explosion of the iron wire. Results: The influence of the initial wire electrical explosion conditions on the explosion regime, the specific energy input into the conductor, and the specific energy released in the arc stage of discharge are definitely determined. The empirical equations for the calculation of the initial wire electrical explosion conditions for providing the critical explosion in the argon medium at a pressure of 2·10⁵ Pa, were defined. It has been established that for the synthesis of iron nanopowders with a narrow particle size distribution, it is preferable to use modes with a high level of the energy released in the arc stage of the discharge. Conclusion: It was found that disabling the arc stage of the discharge during EEW leads to the decrease of the average surface particle size by 50%.