Synthesis of nanoscale metal feedstock for additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11980936-B2
Application number	US-202217841371-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2022
Priority date	Jun 16, 2021
Publication date	May 14, 2024
Grant date	May 14, 2024

Abstract

A method of making a metal-polymer composite includes dealloying metallic powder to yield porous metal particles, monitoring a temperature of the mixture, controlling the rate of combining, a maximum temperature of the mixture, or both, and combining the porous metal particles with a polymer to yield a composite. Dealloying includes combining the metallic powder with an etchant to yield a mixture. A metal-polymer composite includes porous metal particles having an average particle size of about 0.2 μm to about 500 μm and a thermoplastic or thermoset polymer. The polymer composite comprises at least 10 vol % of the porous metal particles. A powder mixture includes porous metal particles having an average particle size of about 0.2 μm to about 500 μm and a metal powder. The powder mixture includes about 1 wt % to about 99 wt % of the porous metal particles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a metal-polymer composite, the method comprising:
dealloying metallic powder to yield porous metal particles, wherein dealloying comprises combining the metallic powder with an acid or a base to yield a mixture;
monitoring a temperature of the mixture;
controlling the rate of combining the metallic powder with the acid or the base; and
combining the porous metal particles with a polymer to yield a composite.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic powder comprises a copper-aluminum alloy.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the porous metal particles comprise mesoporous copper particles.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the rate of combining the metallic powder with the acid or the base comprises controlling the rate of addition of the metallic powder to the acid or the base.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein controlling the rate of addition of the metallic powder comprises titrating the metallic powder into the acid or the base or the acid or the base into the metallic powder.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a temperature of the mixture is in a range from 0° C. to 100° C.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is at least partially solubilized in a solvent.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite is homogenous.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite is in the form of a paste.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite comprises at least 10 vol % of the porous metal particles.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising drying the composite.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising extruding the composite.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein extruding the composite yields a composite filament.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising 3D printing the composite filament to yield a 3D printed composite filament.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein 3D printing the composite filament comprises fused material deposition.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising sintering the 3D printed composite filament at a temperature less than 450° C.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic powder comprises gas-atomized powder.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the porous metal particles have an average particle size of about 0.2 μm to about 500 μm.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising cooling the mixture.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the mixture does not exceed 80° C.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein a maximum value of the temperature of the mixture is 95° C.

Assignees

• Niauzorau Stanislau
• Sharstniou Aliaksandr
• Hasib Amm G
• Azeredo Bruno
• Kublik Natalya
• Song Kenan
• Chawla Nikhilesh
• Niverty Sridhar
• Univ Arizona State
• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Niauzorau Stanislau
• Sharstniou Aliaksandr
• Hasib Amm G
• Azeredo Bruno
• Kublik Natalya
• Song Kenan
• Chawla Nikhilesh
• Niverty Sridhar

Classifications

• B22F1/10 Primary

  Metallic powder containing lubricating or binding agents; Metallic powder containing organic material · CPC title

• B22F1/05

  Metallic powder characterised by the size or surface area of the particles · CPC title

• B22F1/145

  Chemical treatment, e.g. passivation or decarburisation · CPC title

• B22F10/18

  by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF] · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title