Studies on production and characterization of nano-Al2O3 powder using wire explosion technique

In the present work, the nano-Al2O3 powder was produced by the wire explosion technique. The shape and size of the particles were measured using Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) studies. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) studies were carried out to confirm that the particles are of sub-micron size. The compositions of the material were characterized through the Energy Dispersive Angle X-ray Analysis (EDAX) results. The Wide Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD) and the Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) results confirmed the nanosize powder formed by the process as crystalline γ-Al2O3 powder. It is identified that the local temperature of the medium at the time of formation of nanopowder decides the phase characteristics of the powder material. The mechanism of formation of nanopowder by wire explosion technique was explained in detail. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]