Sonochemical and Microwave Methods for Nanomaterials Production

Aim

Workshop Objectives

Workshop Structure

📅 Day 1 — Sonochemistry: The Power of Acoustic Cavitation

• Understanding acoustic cavitation: Formation and collapse of microbubbles
• “Hotspots” phenomenon: Achieving ~5000 K temperatures and ~1000 atm pressures at micro-level
• Primary vs. secondary sonochemical reactions in nanomaterial synthesis
• Case study: Sonoreduction synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles (Gold & Silver)
• Hands-on (Google Colab): Acoustic Bubble Dynamics Simulation — Solve the Rayleigh-Plesset Equation using Python to visualize bubble radius variation under different ultrasonic frequencies

📅 Day 2 — Microwave-Assisted Synthesis: Beyond Bulk Heating

• Heating mechanisms: Dipolar polarization and ionic conduction
• Selective heating advantages over conventional oil-bath methods
• The “Microwave Effect”: Thermal vs. non-thermal influences on nanomaterial growth
• Synthesis applications: Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and metal oxides
• Hands-on (Google Colab): Reaction Kinetics & Arrhenius Modeling — Compare conventional vs. microwave heating rates using Python; calculate time-to-synthesis reduction and activation energy shifts

📅 Day 3 — Synergistic Approaches & Nanomaterial Characterization

• Sono-Microwave reactors: Integrating ultrasound and microwave energy
• Morphology control: Energy input effects on nanoparticles (spheres, rods, sheets)
• Post-synthesis characterization: Interpreting XRD, TEM, SEM, and DLS data
• Scalability considerations: Transitioning from lab-scale synthesis to industrial flow reactors
• Hands-on (Google Colab): Automated Particle Size Analysis — Use Python and OpenCV to process SEM/TEM images and generate particle size distribution histograms

Who Should Enrol?

Important Dates

Workshop Outcomes