Scalable Manufacturing of Metal Nanoparticles by Thermal Fiber Drawing

Thermal fiber drawing has emerged as a novel process for the continuous manufacturing of semiconductor and polymer nanoparticles. Yet a scalable production of metal nanoparticles by thermal drawing is not reported due to the low viscosity and high surface tension of molten metals. Here we present a generic method for the scalable nanomanufacturing of metal nanoparticles via thermal drawing based on droplet break-up emulsification of immiscible glass/metal systems. We experimentally show the scalable manufacturing of metal Sn nanoparticles (<100 nm) in Polyethersulfone (PES) fibers as a model system. This process opens a new pathway for scalable manufacturing of most metal nanoparticles as well as composites with embedded metal nanoparticles, which may find exciting photonic, electrical, or energy applications.