In-situ, simultaneous milling and coating of particulates with nanoparticles

Fluid energy mill (FEM) was utilized to simultaneously realize several functions, namely: size reduction of coarse micron-sized pre-coated particles into smaller (ca. 1–10 μm) particles, as well as de-agglomeration and coating of nanoparticles onto the ground particles, all within the FEM chamber. Three types of coating nanoparticles – silica, alumina, and titania – were applied to study the effects of the nanoparticle type on the coating performance. It was found that material type and surface modification play a significant role in coating uniformity. The results show that the flowability of the ground KCl particulates can be improved significantly by the addition of nanoparticles. The flowability of the ground particulates is sensitive to the amount of the nanoparticles added. This study demonstrates that the novel process can be used to fluidize and coat highly cohesive particles.