Evaporation-based method for manufacturing and recycling of metal matrix nanocomposites

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10513759-B2
Application number	US-201715410690-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2017
Priority date	Jan 19, 2016
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

A manufacturing method includes: 1) forming a melt including one or more metals; 2) introducing nanostructures into the melt at an initial volume fraction of the nanostructures; and 3) at least partially evaporating one or more metals from the melt so as to form a metal matrix nanocomposite including the nanostructures dispersed therein at a higher volume fraction than the initial volume fraction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A manufacturing method comprising:
forming a melt including one or more metals;
introducing nanostructures into the melt at an initial volume fraction of the nanostructures; and
by operating a vacuum pump, at least partially evaporating one or more metals from the melt so as to form a metal matrix nanocomposite including the nanostructures dispersed therein at a higher volume fraction than the initial volume fraction.

2. The manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the nanostructures are introduced into the melt at the initial volume fraction of no greater than 3%.

3. The manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the nanocomposite includes the nanostructures dispersed therein at the higher volume fraction of at least 5%.

4. The manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the melt includes two or more different metals.

5. The manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the melt includes magnesium and zinc.

6. The manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the melt includes one or more of zinc, magnesium, aluminum, iron, nickel, silver, copper, manganese, titanium, chromium, cobalt, gold, and platinum.

7. The manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the nanostructures into the melt includes dispersing the nanostructures in the melt by agitation.

8. The manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the nanostructures include ceramic nanoparticles or metallic nanoparticles.

9. The manufacturing method of claim 8 , wherein the ceramic nanoparticles include a metal carbide or a non-metal carbide.

10. The manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the nanostructures have at least one dimension in a range of 1 nm to 100 nm.

11. A manufacturing method comprising:
forming a carrier melt including at least one carrier metal;
introducing nanostructures into the carrier melt to form a carrier mixture;
forming a matrix melt including at least one matrix metal different from the carrier metal;
introducing the carrier mixture into the matrix melt to form a carrier and matrix mixture having an initial volume fraction of the nanostructures dispersed therein; and
by operating a vacuum pump, at least partially evaporating the carrier metal from the carrier and matrix mixture so as to form a metal matrix nanocomposite including the nanostructures dispersed therein at a higher volume fraction than the initial volume fraction.

12. The manufacturing method of claim 11 , wherein the initial volume fraction of the nanostructures is no greater than 3%, and the higher volume fraction of the nanostructures is at least 5%.

13. The manufacturing method of claim 11 , wherein a melting temperature of the matrix metal is greater than a melting temperature of the carrier metal.

14. The manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein at least partially evaporating the one or more metals from the melt is performed at a pressure at or below 100 Torr.

15. The manufacturing method of claim 11 , wherein at least partially evaporating the carrier metal from the carrier and matrix mixture is performed at a pressure at or below 100 Torr.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Li Xiaochun
• Chen Lianyi

Classifications

• B82Y30/00

  Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites · CPC title

• B22F2998/10

  Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps · CPC title

• B22F2009/001

  from scrap particles · CPC title

• C22C23/04 Primary

  with zinc or cadmium as the next major constituent · CPC title

• B82Y40/00

  Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures · CPC title