Mounting mat including inorganic nanoparticles and method for making the same

A method of making a mounting mat comprising the steps of:

• (i) supplying inorganic fibers through an inlet of a forming box having an open bottom positioned over a forming wire to form a non-woven mat of fibers on the forming wire, the forming box having a plurality of fiber separating rollers provided in at least one row in the housing between the inlet and housing bottom for breaking apart clumps of fibers and an endless belt screen;
• (ii) capturing clumps of fibers on a lower run of the endless belt beneath fiber separating rollers and above the forming wire;
• (iii) conveying captured clumps of fibers on the endless belt above fiber separating rollers to enable captured clumps to release from the belt and to contact and be broken apart by the rollers;
• (iv) transporting the non-woven mat of fibers out of the forming box by the forming wire;
• and
• (v) compressing the non-woven mat of fibers and restraining the non-woven mat of fibers in its compressed state thereby obtaining a mounting mat having a desired thickness suitable for mounting a pollution control element in the housing of a pollution control device;
• wherein inorganic particles having an average diameter of 1 nm to 100 nm are provided in the mounting mat.