Controlled Crystallization of Sodium Chloride Nanocrystals in Microdrop­lets Produced by Electrospray from an Ultra‐Dilute Solution

Abstract

Controlled crystallization is very important for crystal growth. The electrospray (ES) technique has attracted great interest thanks to its advantages of facile manipulation of micrometer droplets and the generation of fine and charged droplets with very narrow size dispersion. In this work, nanocrystals with cubic shapes with 32 nm edges were successfully grown from ultra-dilute NaCl solution (1 μg mL -1 ) on a millisecond timescale by an ES technique. Dispersed and charged microdroplets were created by ES. In the process, an increase in ion strength and built-in electric field in microdroplets promoted nucleation and

Solution-Phase Synthesis of KCl Nanocrystals Templated by PEO-PPO-PEO Triblock Copolymers Micelles

“…Compared with the fabrication of other inorganic nanocrystals such as transition metal oxide, NaYF 4 upconversion nanocrystals, there are still challenges to synthesize KCl-type nanocrystals because they are highly water-soluble. Nanocrystals are mainly synthesized through the electrospray-ionization (EI) technique [9] and evaporation-sharp condensation technique [10]. In the widely adapted EI technique, dispersed and charged droplets with micro-scale were firstly created by the electrospray of solutions, and then the surface tensions of such droplets were reduced through the increasing electric field and ion strength.…”

Biocompatible Polymers for the Synthesis of Nanosalts via Supramolecular Ion–Dipole Interaction

“…A number of strategies have been attempted to fabricate micro- or nanoscale NaCl, − including grinding, − laser ablation, , vapor drying, − nanospray drying, electrospray techniques, and a cryochemical method . In addition, different morphologies of NaCl crystals with uniform microscale sizes have been synthesized by controlled precipitation of NaCl in organic solvents. , However, the NaCl particles produced through these methods would be difficult to store due to the caking property of NaCl as a result of the lack of surface ligand protection, which limited its further application.…”

“…1,2 Reducing the particle size of salt could increase its surface area, leading to an increased dissolution rate in saliva and more efficient transfer of Na ions to taste buds and, hence, a saltier perception of foods. 3−7 A number of strategies have been attempted to fabricate micro-or nanoscale NaCl, 8−12 including grinding, 13−15 laser ablation, 13,16 vapor drying, 17−19 nanospray drying, 7 electrospray techniques, 20 and a cryochemical method. 21 In addition, different morphologies of NaCl crystals with uniform microscale sizes have been synthesized by controlled precipitation of NaCl in organic solvents.…”

Colloidal Synthesis of CsX Nanocrystals (X = Cl, Br, I)

“…Among the successful methods that have been applied in the synthesis of alkali halides are high temperature vapor–liquid–solid techniques, enabling the production of either nanowires [ 16 ] or nanoparticles [ 12 ], a water-based reverse micellar synthetic method [ 17 ] and electrospray techniques [ 18 ]. However, none of these methods have shown the versatility usually provided by colloidal nanocrystal synthesis in organic solutions.…”