Fast growth of nanoparticles in a hollow cathode plasma through orbit motion limited ion collection

Plasma-based nanoparticle synthesis techniques are attractive in many respects but suffer from a major drawback—low productivity. We demonstrate a technique by which the growth rate of copper nanoparticles has been substantially increased by collection of copper ions. A growth rate as high as 470 nm/s was obtained as compared to a growth rate of less than 3 nm/s in the case of growth by neutrals. The increased trapping of copper is explained as orbital motion limited (OML) collection of ions. Experimentally obtained nanoparticle growth rates are in good agreement with theoretical estimates of the OML ion collection rates.