Integrated gas-phase manufacturing of nanostructured particulate films

An integrated process for controlled one-step production of nanostructured particulate thin films is presented, combining gas-phase nanoparticle synthesis, aerodynamic particle manipulation, size selection and deposition. Such films find industrial application for instance in fuel cells, supercapacitors, gas sensors or catalytic surfaces. The production process is presented by the example of titania for gas sensors. The effect of process parameters in the different processing stages – nanoparticle formation, size selection, focussing, and deposition – on nanoparticle and product film properties is investigated. Furthermore, it is demonstrated how the use of masks during deposition can even result in gas sensor array manufacturing that can be interfaced with microfabrication of ICs and MEMs.