Electrical explosion of aluminum wire for preparation of nanoparticles: an experimental study

Abstract

Abstract An experimental study on the characteristics of aluminum wire explosion in ambient gas is carried out. A compact experimental device is built to study the electrical parameters, morphology and size distribution of nanoparticles generated by wire explosion. The typical characteristics are obtained and the influence of the type and pressure of the ambient gas is investigated. The explosion process in argon indicates a longer time for breakdown development and larger deposited energy compared with those in helium. It is proposed that these differences are mainly due to different barrier effects on the formation of plasma channel. The nanoparticles formed in helium have a smaller average diameter, a more concentrated size distribution and a larger specific surface area. It is found that there exists a pressure of about 80 kPa, at which both the peak voltage and deposited energy possess the maximum values.