A New Era of Flame Aerosol Synthesis

Recent studies co-led by engineers from the University at Buffalo, published in Nature Communications and Matter, address the limitations associated with flame aerosol synthesis. These studies focus on a specialized flame aerosol system that the engineers developed, which they claim is cost-effective, adaptable, and easy to use.

Humans have been using fire to turn raw materials into useful products since the beginning of civilization. Examples include converting silica into glass and clay into pottery using flames.

Today, the industry employs a highly advanced process known as flame aerosol synthesis to produce nanoparticles, which are essential components in everything from air filters to inks.

Despite its effectiveness, flame aerosol synthesis has several drawbacks, including difficulties in controlling the flame, achieving precise control over the size and distribution of nanoparticles, and associated costs.

The most recent study, published on October 30, 2024, in Nature Communications, details how the research team utilized this system to establish metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are porous nanomaterials used across various fields, energy, the environment, health, and medicine.

This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first time that flame aerosol technology has been applied to create MOFs.

Mark Swihart, Ph.D., Study Lead Author, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Buffalo

The majority of MOFs are created through a liquid chemical reaction. While this method is effective, it can be costly and time-consuming, especially when producing materials with a high degree of crystallinity.

In contrast, the flame aerosol system requires only one step, which could significantly reduce both time and cost. Researchers suggest that although the MOFs produced by this method have lower porosity compared to traditional MOFs, their unique properties—such as small grain size, short-range ordered structures, and high thermal stability—could lead to the development of new materials and industrial applications.

Additionally, the flame aerosol system bypasses thermodynamic challenges, allowing for the combination of any two metal elements to create a single MOF with tailored characteristics suitable for energy storage, catalysis, sensing, and other applications.

An earlier study highlighted the flame aerosol system’s potential for producing high-entropy ceramic nanomaterials and was published in Matter on August 27, 2024. These highly stable nanomaterials are composed of multiple elements, typically five or more, in nearly equal proportions. Like MOFs, they possess unique properties that make them ideal for applications in sensing, energy storage, and catalysis.

In their experiments using the flame aerosol system, the research team successfully created nanoparticles containing up to 22 elements, demonstrating the method’s versatility. They also showcased a carbon dioxide reduction catalyst that was stronger and more durable than traditional catalysts.

Swihart concluded, “The flame reactor is a scalable, one-step, and incredibly versatile way to fabricate high-entropy nanoceramics, as well as other materials.”

Swihart is also a SUNY Empire Innovation Professor and a member of the UB RENEW Institute faculty.

Journal References:

Liu, S. et. al. (2024) A general flame aerosol route to kinetically stabilized metal-organic frameworks. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53678-4

Liu, S. et. al. (2024) A general flame aerosol route to high-entropy nanoceramics. Matter. doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2024.07.019