Modelling of induction thermal plasma synthesis of iron nanoparticles in oxygen-contaminated gas mixtures

The synthesis of iron nanoparticles in a radio-frequency induction thermal plasma (RF-ITP) system working in a mixture of argon contaminated with oxygen (10-100 ppm) has been modelled considering the iron oxidation reactions both in gaseous and condensed phases. The results show that oxidation occurs mainly in the gas phase where Fe is converted to FeO. As the concentration of oxygen impurities increases, the nucleation region is shifted towards higher temperatures and the resulting nanoparticles are characterized by larger diameters