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.

This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.