Dispersion of crystalline powder materials in gaseous media of different chemical compositions

The process of grinding of rutile and barite crystalline powders in a laboratory ball mill in different types of gaseous media (air, nitrogen, helium) has been investigated. Comparative evaluations of the intensity of the dispersion of these minerals have been performed and the particle sizes of powders obtained in different modes of their dispersion have been measured. A sharp increase in the intensity of this process in the helium medium as compared to the air and nitrogen media has been revealed and ultrafine-grained particles of barite powders have been obtained. The results of the performed investigations have demonstrated that the helium medium can be recommended for producing nanoparticles of powder materials in modern types of ball and bead mills with a drastic decrease in the time and energy consumptions required for their preparation.