Optimisation of the Flame Spheroidisation Process for the Rapid Manufacture of Fe3O4-Based Porous and Dense Microspheres

Molinar-Díaz, Jesús; Woodliffe, John Luke; Steer, Elisabeth; Morley, Nicola A; Brown, Paul D; Ahmed, Ifty

Abstract

The rapid, single-stage, flame-spheroidisation process, as applied to varying Fe3O4:CaCO3 powder combinations, provides for the rapid production of a mixture of dense and porous ferro-magnetic microspheres with homogeneous composition, high levels of interconnected porosity and microsphere size control. This study describes the production of dense (35-80 µm) and highly porous (125-180 µm) Ca2Fe2O5 ferromagnetic microspheres. Correlated backscattered electron imaging and mineral liberation analysis investigations provide insight into the microsphere formation mechanisms, as a function of Fe3O4/porogen mass ratios and gas flow settings. Optimised conditions for the processing of highly homogeneous Ca2Fe2O5 porous and dense microspheres are identified. Induction heating studies of the materials produced delivered a controlled temperature increase to 43.7 °C, indicating that these flame-spheroidised Ca2Fe2O5 ferromagnetic microspheres could be highly promising candidates for magnetic induced hyperthermia and other biomedical applications.

Citation

Molinar-Díaz, J., Woodliffe, J. L., Steer, E., Morley, N. A., Brown, P. D., & Ahmed, I. (in press). Optimisation of the Flame Spheroidisation Process for the Rapid Manufacture of Fe3O4-Based Porous and Dense Microspheres. Molecules, 28(6), Article 2523. https://doi.org/10.3390/+molecules28062523

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 7, 2023
• Deposit Date: Mar 10, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 10, 2023
• Journal: Molecules
• Electronic ISSN: 1420-3049
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 6
• Article Number: 2523
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/+molecules28062523
• Keywords: Magnetite; magnetic particles; porous microspheres; calcium ferrites; flame spheroidisation; ceramics; magnetic hyperthermia
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/18235766
• Publisher URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/6/2523
• Additional Information: Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses /by/4.0/)