The feasibility of in situ coating of titania particles with silica using a high-temperature, gas-phase process was demonstrated. Titania was produced from the reaction of TiCl4 and O2 in a hot-wall, tubular, aerosol reactor and directly coated in the gas phase via the reaction of O2 with SiCl4 vapor. Rough SiO2 coatings were obtained at 1300 °C while uniform, dense coatings were obtained at all conditions examined for 1500 °C. The presence of water in the reactor significantly influenced the morphology of the coatings and resulted in smooth, dense, and uniform coatings at 1300 °C. Coating thicknesses could be controlled from 5 nm to roughly 100 nm, corresponding to growth rates on the order of 10–100 nmys. The characteristics of the coatings depended upon the concentration of SiCl4 and the coating temperature. These process variables influenced the coating mechanism, growth rate, and densification which directly influenced the coating uniformity and thickness.
In situ coating of titania aerosol particles with alumina and
alumina−silica mixtures by
chemical vapor deposition, cluster deposition, and sintering was
demonstrated in a hot-wall, continuous flow tubular reactor. Titania particles with
diameters in the range 0.2−0.8 μm were produced by the reaction of TiCl4 with
O2 at 1300 and 1500 °C and were passed
through a coating region where they were mixed with AlCl3
or mixtures of AlCl3 and SiCl4.
Uniform and dense coatings of Al2O3 were
obtained at both 1300 and 1500 °C using
AlCl3
inlet concentrations that corresponded to Al2O3
mass loading of less than 1 wt %. The coating
thickness could be controlled from 5 to 20 nm which corresponded to
deposition rates up to
50 nm/s. Uniform and dense coatings of
Al2O3/SiO2 were obtained at 1300
°C when the
SiO2/Al2O3 weight ratio was less
than 2:1. It is proposed that coating takes place in
two
modes: (a) chemical vapor deposition of AlCl3 and
SiCl4 on the particle surface and (b) gas-phase reactions of the metal chlorides to form
Al2O3, SiO2, or
Al2O3/SiO2 particles
that
subsequently collide with the titania particles and sinter into the
coating.
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