Methods of making light-weight, low-resistivity transfer materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10553370-B2
Application number	US-201715720808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2017
Priority date	Jun 28, 2017
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method is provided that includes (1) providing aluminum; (2) providing carbon nanotube material; (3) combining the aluminum and carbon nanotube material to form a current-carrying, aluminum-carbon-nanotube component of an electrical switch device; and (4) assembling the electrical switch device using the aluminum-carbon-nanotube component. The aluminum-carbon-nanotube component is formed so as to have at least one of lower electrical resistivity and greater thermal conductivity than a component formed of aluminum without carbon nanotube material. Numerous other embodiments are provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
providing aluminum;
providing carbon nanotube material;
combining the aluminum and carbon nanotube material to form a current-carrying, aluminum-carbon-nanotube component of an electrical switch device, wherein combining the aluminum and carbon nanotube material comprises:
providing a first amount of a powdered aluminum;
providing a second amount of a carbon-based material, wherein providing the second amount of the carbon-based material comprises:
providing the second amount of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and
wherein the multi-walled carbon nanotubes have average dimensions of 130 nm to 170 nm outer diameter, 100 nm to 120 nm internal diameter, and 5 μm to 9 μm in length;

disposing the first amount of the powdered aluminum and the second amount of the carbon-based material in a grinding and blending apparatus;
grinding and blending the first amount of the powdered aluminum and the second amount of the carbon-based material to form a mixture;
sintering the mixture to form a sintered mixture;
forming a shaped structure from the sintered mixture; and
assembling the electrical switch device using the aluminum-carbon-nanotube component, wherein the aluminum-carbon-nanotube component is formed so as to have at least one of lower electrical resistivity and greater thermal conductivity than a component formed of aluminum without carbon nanotube material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second amount comprises an amount between 0.1 wt. % and 2.0 wt. %.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second amount comprises an amount nominally 1.0 wt. %.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the second amount of the carbon-based material comprises:
providing the second amount of single-walled carbon nanotubes;
wherein the single-walled carbon nanotubes have average dimensions of 9 nm to 15 nm outer diameter, 7 nm to 12 nm internal diameter, and 0.5 μm to 10 μm in length.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second amount comprises an amount between 0.1 wt. % and 2.0 wt. %.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second amount comprises an amount nominally 0.5 wt. %.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein sintering comprises:
heating the mixture to a temperature within a range of 550° C. to 600° C., for a period within a range of 30 minutes to 60 minutes, in an ambient comprising argon or nitrogen.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
applying, prior to heating the mixture, a pressure in a range of 15 Ton to 20 Ton thereto.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
applying, concurrently with heating the mixture, a pressure in a range of 15 Ton to 20 Ton to the mixture.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein grinding and blending comprises ball milling.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein ball milling comprises using balls formed from steel.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein a plurality of balls used in ball milling have a first size, a powdered aluminum particle has a second size, and a ratio of the first size to the second size is in a range of 25:1 to 10:1.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein a distribution of carbon nanotubes in the mixture prior to sintering is nominally uniform.

14. A method of assembling a circuit breaker, comprising:
disposing a first amount of a powdered aluminum and a second amount of a carbon-based material in a ball milling machine;
ball milling the first amount of the powdered aluminum and the second amount of the carbon-based material to form a mixture;
disposing a first portion of the mixture in a first mold, and a second portion of the mixture in a second mold;
sintering the first portion of the mixture in the first mold to form a first electrically conductive structure having a first shape, and sintering the second portion of the mixture in the second mold to form a second electrically conductive structure having a second shape; and
disposing the first electrically conductive structure and the second electrically conductive structure within a housing of the circuit breaker.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the carbon-based material comprises multi-walled carbon nanotubes; and
wherein the multi-walled carbon nanotubes have average dimensions of 130 nm to 170 nm outer diameter, 100 nm to 120 nm internal diameter, and 5 μm to 9 μm in length.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
applying pressure to the first portion of the mixture, prior to sintering, in a range of 15 Ton to 20 Ton; and
applying pressure to the first portion of the mixture, during sintering, in a range of 15 Ton to 20 Ton.

Assignees

• Siemens Industry Inc

Inventors

• Rodriguez Salinas Juan Jose
• Jimenez Gonzalez Eduardo

Classifications

• H01H11/06

  Fixing of contacts to carrier {; Fixing of contacts to insulating carrier} · CPC title

• H01H71/524

  the contact arm being pivoted on handle and mechanism spring acting between cradle and contact arm · CPC title

• H01H2300/036

  Application nanoparticles, e.g. nanotubes, integrated in switch components, e.g. contacts, the switch itself being clearly of a different scale, e.g. greater than nanoscale · CPC title

• H01H1/027

  containing carbon particles or fibres · CPC title

• C22C2026/002

  Carbon nanotubes · CPC title