Analysis of milling time effect on nanomaterial particle size using a laboratory-scale horizontal ball mill machine

Abstract The advancement of nanotechnology has driven the need for efficient nanomaterial production methods. This research aims to analyze the effect of milling time on nanomaterial particle size using a laboratory-scale horizontal ball mill machine. The research method involved designing and constructing a horizontal ball mill machine, as well as testing using carbon powder with an initial size of 100 mesh (149 μm). Milling time variations tested were 6, 8, and 10 hours. Particle size characterization was performed using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Results showed that longer milling times produced smaller particle sizes. Milling for 6 hours resulted in an average particle size of 220.719 nm (63.13% of the sample), 8 hours produced 216.385 nm (77.01% of the sample), and 10 hours yielded 82.519 nm (86.99% of the sample). The study concludes that the designed horizontal ball mill machine can produce nanomaterials, with milling time inversely proportional to the resulting particle size. This research contributes to optimizing nanomaterial production processes using the ball mill method.