Carbon spheres and methods of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017341941-A1
Application number	US-201615163297-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 24, 2016
Priority date	May 24, 2016
Publication date	Nov 30, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Carbon particles are disclosed, as well as methods and systems for forming the particles. In one embodiment, the system may include a receiving vessel configured to receive a liquid carbon precursor and at least one orifice at a bottom of the receiving vessel and configured to release droplets of the precursor. A cooling vessel may be positioned below the receiving vessel to receive the droplets and configured to hold a coolant for solidifying the droplets into carbon precursor particles. The method may include introducing a liquid carbon precursor into a tank having a plurality of orifices defined therein such that droplets of the precursor are released from the orifices and solidifying the droplets in a cooling vessel positioned to receive the droplets from the orifices. The method may then include carbonizing the solidified droplets to form carbon particles. The particles may be solid or hollow.

First claim

1 . A system comprising:
a receiving vessel configured to receive a liquid carbon precursor; at least one orifice at a bottom of the receiving vessel and configured to release droplets of the precursor; and a cooling vessel positioned below the receiving vessel to receive the droplets and configured to hold a coolant for solidifying the droplets into carbon precursor particles.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the vessel includes at least one tube and one of the at least one orifice is defined at an end of each of the at least one tube.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one tube includes a main body portion and a narrower tip portion.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one tube includes an inner lumen configured to receive a fluid and an outer lumen configured to receive the liquid carbon precursor.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein an end of the inner lumen extends passed an end of the outer lumen.

6 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one tube is configured to release droplets of the precursor having an inner core comprised of the fluid.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the fluid is a gas.

8 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the fluid is a liquid polymer.

9 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the inner core has a diameter being at least 10% of a diameter of the droplets.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the vessel includes a gas inlet connected to a pressurized gas source and a gas valve configured to control gas flow from the pressurized gas source into the vessel.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the vessel includes a pressure sensor and a gas vent configured to release gas from the vessel to reduce an air pressure in the vessel.

12 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an oven configured to carbonize the carbon precursor particles into carbon particles comprising at least 90 wt. % carbon.

13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one orifice includes at least 100 orifices.

14 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one orifice is configured to release droplets having a diameter of 10 to 400 μm.

15 . A method comprising:
introducing a liquid carbon precursor into a tank having a plurality of orifices defined therein such that droplets of the precursor are released from the orifices; solidifying the droplets in a cooling vessel positioned to receive the droplets from the orifices; and carbonizing the solidified droplets to form carbon particles.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of orifices release droplets having a diameter of 10 to 400 μm and the carbonizing step includes carbonizing the solidified droplets to form carbon particles having a diameter of 10 to 400 μm.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of orifices is defined at an end of a tube and the droplets of the precursor are released from the tube.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
introducing a fluid into an inner lumen of the tube and introducing the liquid carbon precursor into an outer lumen of the tube to form droplets having an outer shell of the precursor and an inner core of the fluid; and carbonizing the droplets to form hollow carbon particles having an outer shell of carbon and a gas-filled core.

19 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising including the carbon particles into a sheet molding compound.

20 . A composite vehicle component, comprising:
a polymer matrix; and a plurality of carbon spheres dispersed throughout the polymer matrix, the carbon spheres having a diameter of 10 to 300 μm and including at least 90 wt. % carbon.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Zhao Haibo
• Blanchard Patrick James

Classifications

• B01J19/06 Primary

  Solidifying liquids (making microcapsules B01J13/02) · CPC title

• C08K7/18 Primary

  inorganic · CPC title

• C01B32/384

  Granulation · CPC title

• C01B32/318 Primary

  characterised by the starting materials · CPC title

• C08K2201/003

  Additives being defined by their diameter · CPC title