Patent ID: 8337673

Claim:
A method for synthesizing silicon-containing nanoparticles by laser pyrolysis, comprising the steps of: conveying, by a carrier fluid, a precursor containing silicon to a pyrolysis reactor; applying laser radiation in the reactor to the carrier fluid and the precursor; recovering silicon-containing nanoparticles at an outlet of the reactor; controlling at least a power of the laser radiation and a pulse duration within a laser firing period of the radiation, wherein the pulse duration ranges from about 40% to 75% of the laser firing period; controlling a rate of transit of the carrier fluid through the reactor wherein the rate of transit of the carrier fluid ranges from about 4 to about 11 meters per second; and controlling a dilution of the precursor in the carrier fluid wherein, since the precursor contains one silicon atom per molecule, the dilution of the precursor in the carrier fluid is between 1/25 and 1/10.