Ultrasonic cavitation technology, as a highly effective physical treatment method, releases enormous amounts of energy through the rapid formation, expansion, and collapse of cavitation bubbles generated by ultrasound in liquids. This energy acts on particles in the form of high shear forces, microjets, and shock waves, achieving a variety of important physical and chemical effects. Ultrasonic cavitation technology is particularly widely used and effective in nanomaterial processing and various industrial fields, specifically in the following aspects:
1. Dispersion: Ultrasonic waves can effectively break up the agglomeration forces between particles, dispersing them into smaller units and forming a stable and uniform suspension. This is crucial for improving the dispersion, uniformity, and stability of nanomaterials, especially in the preparation of high-quality nanocomposites.
2. Particle Size Reduction: The high shear forces and microjets generated by ultrasonic cavitation can further break up larger particles and reduce their size, resulting in finer nanoparticles. This is particularly important in nanomaterial preparation processes that require a specific particle size distribution.
2. Particle Synthesis and Precipitation: During the nanoparticle synthesis process, ultrasound can promote the mixing and dispersion of reactants, increasing reaction rate and uniformity. Furthermore, during the precipitation process, ultrasound can help control particle morphology and size, resulting in more uniform nanoparticles.
3. Surface Functionalization: Ultrasound can also promote chemical reactions on the surface of nanoparticles, achieving surface functionalization. By introducing specific functional groups or molecules, the dispersibility, stability, and compatibility of nanoparticles with other materials can be improved, thereby broadening their application areas.
4. Applications in Specific Industries: Ink Industry: Ultrasonic treatment can significantly enhance the dispersibility and stability of inks, improving printing quality.
1) Metal Oxide Preparation: During the metal oxide synthesis process, ultrasound promotes uniform mixing and rapid precipitation of reactants, resulting in small, uniformly distributed metal oxide nanoparticles.
2) Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Processing: Ultrasonic treatment can effectively disperse carbon nanotubes and graphene, preventing agglomeration, while promoting their uniform distribution in composite materials and enhancing their properties.
In summary, ultrasonic cavitation technology plays an important role in nanomaterial processing and multiple industrial fields. Its high efficiency, environmental protection and controllable characteristics make it one of the indispensable tools in these fields.
