The microplatelet machine

Can we invent a scalable technique to synthesize microplatelets – micron-sized crystals with controlled shape? Such microplatelets are a crucial stepping-stone to make high performance, ceramic materials with control of the orientation of each building block (grains) in a material. This is because the microplatelets can act as seeds that steer the direction each grain grows in. At present, such microplatelets can only be made by small batch processes, I want to make them with a continuous machine that also can be used for large-scale production. This is based on a technique developed for producing nanoparticles; to make microplatelets we need to increase the particle size by 1000 times while simultaneously control the particle shape. If successful, this “microplatelet machine” will be an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method for improving many ceramic materials, for example energy harvesters or transducers for medical ultrasound imaging.