Apparatus for producing silver nano-particle material comprises a furnace
and a crucible positioned within the furnace, the crucible containing a
quantity of precursor material, the furnace heating the quantity of
precursor material contained in the crucible to vaporize the precursor
material. A process gas supply operatively associated with the furnace
provides a process gas to an interior region of the furnace. A conduit is
operatively associated with the furnace so that an inlet end of the
conduit is open to the interior region of the furnace. A particle
separator system is operatively associated with an outlet end of the
conduit. A pump operatively associated with an outlet end of the particle
separator system causes a mixture of process gas and vaporized precursor
material contained in the interior region of the furnace to be drawn into
the inlet end of the conduit, the process gas cooling the vaporized
precursor material to precipitate the silver nano-particle material in a
carrier stream, the particle separator system separating the silver
nano-particle material from the carrier stream.