Continuous Wet Reduction for Silver Microparticle Crystallinity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing highly crystalline silver microparticles with an average primary particle diameter of 100 nm or more and high crystallinity are inefficient, often resulting in low production rates and significant energy consumption, particularly in liquid phase reactions.
Innovation Solution
A continuous wet reduction method involving a silver solution and a reducing agent solution is used, where the silver solution is the main stream in a thin film fluid formed between rotating processing surfaces, allowing for controlled diffusion and achieving a high reduction rate of 99% or more, with an average crystallite diameter relative to the primary particle diameter of 80% or more.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If gas phase reaction is used to produce highly crystalline silver microparticles, then crystallinity is improved, but energy consumption increases and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the gas phase reaction system with a liquid phase reaction system. Specifically, it uses a continuous flow reactor where liquid precursors are introduced through nozzles to form droplets that react in a controlled liquid environment, eliminating the need for gas phase processing while maintaining crystallinity and improving production efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state parameters of the reaction system from gas phase to liquid phase. By controlling the temperature, flow rates, and composition of liquid precursors, the system achieves high crystallinity silver microparticle formation with significantly improved production efficiency and reduced energy consumption
2Manufacturing precision
If gas phase reaction with burner heating is used, then highly crystalline silver microparticles are produced, but energy consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the burner heating system with a liquid phase continuous flow reaction system. The reaction occurs in liquid precursors that are introduced through nozzles and processed in a continuous flow reactor, eliminating the need for high-temperature burner heating and associated energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a continuous flow reaction process where liquid precursors are continuously introduced, reacted, and processed. This continuous operation eliminates the intermittent heating cycles required by burner systems, significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining high crystallinity
3Productivity
If simple batch production method is used in liquid phase reaction, then production efficiency is improved, but reduction rate decreases and yield is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a continuous flow reaction system where liquid precursors are continuously introduced through nozzles, reacted in a controlled flow environment, and processed without interruption. This continuous operation maintains high reduction rates by ensuring constant supply of reactants and removing products efficiently, achieving both high productivity and high yield
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a dynamic continuous flow system where flow rates, temperatures, and reaction conditions can be adjusted and optimized in real-time. This dynamic control allows the system to maintain optimal reduction rates throughout the continuous production process, overcoming the limitations of static batch processing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method efficiently produces highly crystalline silver microparticles with a high reduction rate and improved crystallinity, overcoming the limitations of existing techniques by controlling diffusion conditions in the thin film fluid, resulting in silver microparticles with 100 nm to 1,000 nm average primary particle diameters and 80% or more crystallite diameter ratios.
Implementation Method 1
reacting a silver solution containing at least silver ions and a reducing agent solution containing at least a reducing agent
Implementation Method 2
Solute A repeatedly collides with solvent molecules and continues to move with intricately changing the direction until it encounters solute B of the reaction subject. Such molecule movement is called diffusion.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a method of producing highly crystalline silver microparticles by a reduction reaction, which comprises precipitating the silver microparticles by reacting a silver solution containing at least silver ions and a reducing agent solution containing at least a reducing agent by a continuous wet reduction method, wherein a reduction rate from the silver solution to the silver microparticles is 99% or more; an average primary particle diameter of the silver microparticles is 100 nm or more and 1,000 nm or less; and an average crystallite diameter relative to the average primary particle diameter of the silver microparticles is 80% or more. Even highly crystalline silver microparticles having 95% or more of the ratio (d/D) of the average crystallite diameter (d) relative to the average primary particle diameter (D), that is, silver microparticles in which almost all silver microparticles are single crystals, can be continuously produced by a liquid phase method, by the present invention.