Fundamental Understanding of Nanoparticle chemistry: towards the prediction of Particulate emissions and Material synthesis

Project Information

FUN-PM

Grant agreement ID: 756785

DOI

10.3030/756785

Project closed

EC signature date 28 August 2017

Start date 1 February 2018

End date 31 January 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 1 493 838,77

EU contribution

€ 1 493 838,77

Coordinated by

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
France

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - FUN-PM (Fundamental Understanding of Nanoparticle chemistry: towards the prediction of Particulate emissions and Material synthesis)

Reporting period: 2022-08-01 to 2024-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The capability of modern societies to reduce harmful particulate emissions from combustion devices and at the same time to take full advantage of flame-based technologies for production of nanomaterials is limited by the inaccuracy of the industrial simulation tools for the design and implementation of practical and efficient solutions. In particular, our fundamental understanding of the nanoparticle chemistry is not only far from being comprehensive but also not sufficient to allow such tools to be accurate and predictive. Nanoparticle formation is a very complex, multi-step process driven by the chemistry of unburned hydrocarbons, including formation and growth of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, considered the particle building blocks), nanoparticle nucleation, and subsequent particle growth and oxidation. Unfortunately, many of these steps are still poorly understood, mainly due to their intrinsic complexity and the limitations in the experimental and theoretical laboratory-based techniques.
With the goal of providing answers to the existing long-stand unresolved questions related to the nanoparticle chemistry, a new multi-disciplinary, multi-step approach is considered where the particle formation processes are isolated and studied singularly using a combination of complementary advanced and innovative experimental, theoretical, and modelling techniques. The following objectives will be achieved during the research program:
• experimentally investigate the chemistry of key fuel components and mixtures at conditions relevant to combustion systems using advanced conventional laboratory-based techniques for studies on i) formation of small PAHs, and ii) particle growth and oxidation;
• develop innovative synchrotron-based methodologies to overcome the limitations in the conventional techniques and perform investigations on growth to large PAHs and nanoparticle nucleation;
• develop and validate a comprehensive and detailed chemical kinetic model for nanoparticle chemistry based on the newly obtained experimental results with the support of theoretical calculations and analyses.
The model will constitute a greatly enhanced component of industrial codes for predictive simulations of particulate emissions from modern combustion devices and nanomaterial synthesis in industrial processes, with considerable benefits to the standards of living of European citizens, the environment, and the European Union economy, towards the future of clean energy conversion and novel nanomaterials.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The activities related to FUN-PM started with the development of a new experimental facility for the measurement of species profiles in shock tube experiments. A conventional shock tube at the laboratory ICARE - CNRS was converted for use with a new gas chromatographic system specifically designed for detection of relatively small polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
The new facility, called high-purity shock tube (HPST), was tested and used to perform experiments on several aromatic fuels and their mixtures with small aliphatic components with the goal of probing various reaction pathways leading to the formation of PAH molecules (aromatic-aromatic radical recombination and aromatic + aliphatic pathways). The experiments were used for the development and validation of a comprehensive and detailed chemical kinetic model for PAH formation chemistry.
A new miniature high-repetition-rate, fully-automated shock tube (ICARE-HRRST) for use at synchrotron facilities was designed and built. The ICARE-HRRST was coupled to the double imaging photoelectron/photoion coincidence spectroscopy technique (i2PEPICO) at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility, France, for the measurement of species profiles, including PAHs. The first ever experiments with the ICARE-HRRST/i2PEPICO system were performed on the pyrolysis of ethanol while other experimental campaigns were performed at SOLEIL (on pyrolytic chemistry of toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, propylene, xylene, among the others) and at the Swiss Light Source.
Finally, the development of a new double-laser particle detection system coupled to the heated shock tube (HST) facility at ICARE was completed. The system is capable to measure various kinetic parameters, as function of time, for particle appearance and growth. Experiments were performed on several aromatic fuels and mixtures similar to the ones investigated in the HPST. A new code SMAuG (Soot Mechanism Automated Generator) was developed to construct the kinetic models for particle chemistry. The validation of the model for particle appearance and growth, an ongoing effort, was performed based on the shock tube results.
The results of these works were published in 14 journal articles, 3 PhD thesis, 10 papers at International Conferences, and several presentations at Workshops.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The experimental techniques developed during the FUN-PM program present aspects which progress beyond the state-of-the-art techniques in the chemical kinetic field. The newly developed high purity shock tube (HPST) facility at ICARE has some unique characteristics which makes it a very performant set-up for measuring profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) products (improved sensitivities, below 0.1 parts per million, and species separation capabilities). These products are relevant particle precursors, thus their detection is essential for understanding the particle chemistry. The experimental results obtained with the HPST allowed to analyze the PAH formation chemistry with remarkable accuracy.
Concerning the miniature high-repetition-rate shock tube (HRRST), it is in itself a technology that encompass the capabilities of the conventional techniques with the goal of accessing the most advanced diagnostics at synchrotron facilities. The ICARE-HRRST is a totally-automated shock tube of one-meter length (versus 10 meters for regular shock tubes) that can operate at rates up to 2 experiments per second (versus typical rates of 1-2 experiments per hour) with reproducible operational conditions. The coupling between the HRRST and the double imaging photoelectron/photoion coincidence spectroscopy (i2PEPICO) at the SOLEIL Synchrotron facility, France, provides a unique and novel methodology for obtaining fundamental information on the high-temperature high-pressure fuel kinetics. The results obtained and partly under evaluation provide unique information on the growth to large particle precursor molecules, which can not be obtained with laboratory-based techniques.
As for the chemical kinetic models, these represent considerable advances in the field, in view of their comprehensive validation against the numerous experimental results obtained in the program and improved performance compared to previous models in the literature. The model constitutes the base for future mechanistic developments on more complex fuels or conditions.

FUN-PM overview