Mechanisms of metallic nanoparticle generation during an electric explosion of conductors

The mechanisms of conductor fracture and the generation of metallic nanoparticles during an electric explosion are discussed. The fracture of polycrystalline conductors with a crystallite size smaller than 100 nm during rapid introduction of energy is shown to occur due to its localization at grain boundaries. The dynamics of the explosion products (droplets, vapor) flying into a buffer gas is numerically simulated in terms of the mechanics of heterogeneous media with allowance for condensation and evaporation. The calculated size distributions of particles agree with the experimental distributions both qualitatively and quantitatively.