Research on Continuous Synthesis of Nanoparticles Using an Inline High-Shear Mixer: Barium Sulfate

Nanoparticle preparation is the foundation of nanotechnology. Owing to its excellent micromixing and disaggregation performance, the high shear mixer (HSM) is a promising tool for nanoparticle preparation. However, limited research has hindered its understanding and application. Therefore, this work systematically investigates for the first time the effects of rotor tip velocity ui, supersaturation, feed flow rate QA, free ion ratio Rf, and rotor–stator configuration on the precipitation of barium sulfate using inline HSM. The results indicate that the nucleation mechanism, micromixing, and shear collectively determine the primary particle mean size dm and agglomerate mean size d43 of barium sulfate precipitation. Higher Rf, more rotor–stator slotting, or an appropriate increase in ui can effectively reduce dm and d43. Finally, the correlation equation for d43 is provided. These results offer valuable insights for the design and application of inline HSM in nanoparticle preparation.