ABSTRACT
Aluminum (Al) nanopowders have potential applications as hydrogen storage medium, energetic materials, pigments, and for production of metal matrix parts via powder metallurgy, to name a few. They are synthesized by methods which are either expensive or result in the product with impurities. A novel methodology based on ultrasonication of commercially available Al foil has been developed for synthesis of Al powders. Al foil was immersed in an organic medium and subjected to ultrasonication in a 160-watt bath ultrasonicator operated at 35â¯kHz frequency. Morphological, crystal structural, and dimensional characterization of ultrasonicated Al was carried out with the help of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic forces microscopy (AFM) respectively. Characterization results revealed that Al foil was eroded laterally as well as axially, resulting in the formation of micro and nanosized flake-like pure Al powder.