Process to produce nanoparticles

A process for producing nanoparticles of a substance, comprising:

• in a first chamber, dispersing a substance in a fluid and bringing the fluid into a supercritical state at a selected pressure and temperature to form a dispersion of the substance and the fluid in the supercritical state;
• passing the dispersion from the first chamber either through a cooling device into a second chamber or into a cooling zone in the second chamber, wherein the cooling device or cooling zone reduces the temperature of the passing dispersion below a temperature at which the fluid forms solid particles such that both solid particles of the fluid and nanoparticles of the substance are formed, wherein the second chamber further comprises a surface configured to receive the solid particles of the fluid and the nanoparticles of the substance, and both the solid particles of the fluid and the nanoparticles of the substance are deposited upon the surface together;
• wherein the surface configured to receive solid particles of the fluid and nanoparticles of the substance is further configured to transport the nanoparticles to a nanoparticle collection zone;
• moving the surface towards the nanoparticle collection zone, wherein, as the surface moves towards the nanoparticle collection zone, allowing at least one of pressure to decrease and temperature to increase such that the solid particles of the fluid deposited on the surface are transformed into a gaseous state, and removing the fluid in the gaseous state while the nanoparticles of the substance remain on the surface;
• and
• collecting the nanoparticles of the substance from the surface in the nanoparticle collection zone.