Core-Shell Particles and Composite Material Synthesized Therefrom

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021308755-A1
Application number	US-202117221021-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 2, 2021
Priority date	Apr 2, 2020
Publication date	Oct 7, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system for producing a soft magnetic material having a core-shell structure includes a gas supply configured to supply at least one gas; and a furnace configured to receive the at least one gas. A flow of the at least one gas is configured to be varied to provide a shell on a particle in the furnace.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for producing a soft magnetic material having a core-shell structure, the system, comprising:
a gas supply configured to supply at least one gas; and a furnace configured to receive the at least one gas; wherein a flow of the at least one gas is configured to be varied to provide a shell on a particle in the furnace.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the gas supply comprises one or more of a nitrogen source, an oxygen source, an air source, an inert gas, or vacuum.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the furnace comprises at least one heater configured to heat the particle.

4 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a flow controller through which the at least one gas is fed to the furnace.

5 . The system of claim 4 , further comprising a pressure sensor downstream of the flow controller and upstream of the furnace.

6 . The system of claim 5 , further comprising a system controller, the system controller comprising at least one processor and at least one memory having software, the system controller being configured to adjust and control the supply of the at least one gas through the flow controller and being configured to control a temperature in the furnace.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein adjustment and control of the supply of the at least one gas through the flow controller and control of the temperature of the furnace is based on at least a pressure from the pressure sensor, the temperature in the furnace, or one or more of temperature or flow rate of the at least one gas.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the gas supply is further configured to deliver at least one of argon, helium, and neon to the furnace to purge the furnace.

9 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising means to vary the flow of the at least one gas.

10 . A method of providing a soft magnetic material having a core-shell structure, the method comprising:
purging a furnace with one or more of nitrogen, inert gas, or vacuum; heating the furnace; determining if a shell on a ferrous particle in the furnace is to be an oxide, a nitride, or an oxynitride; and oxidizing and/or nitriding the ferrous particle to form the shell.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein heating the furnace comprises maintaining a temperature of the furnace below a temperature at which the nitrogen reacts with the ferrous particle.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein if the shell on the ferrous particle is determined to be the oxide, further comprising,
switching a flow of the nitrogen purging the furnace to a flow of air, and oxidizing the ferrous particle.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein if the shell on the ferrous particle is determined to be the nitride, further comprising,
maintaining a flow of the nitrogen purging the furnace, and increasing the temperature of the furnace to a temperature at which the nitrogen reacts with the ferrous particle.

14 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising cooling the oxidized or nitrided ferrous particle.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein a thickness of the shell is varied by varying a temperature and time in the furnace.

16 . A soft magnetic material, comprising:
a soft magnetic core; and a shell surrounding the soft magnetic core, the shell being chemically bonded to the core; wherein the soft magnetic core comprises a soft magnetic elemental metal or alloy; and wherein the shell comprises an electrically insulating material.

17 . The soft magnetic material of claim 16 , wherein the soft magnetic elemental metal or alloy comprises one or more of iron, cobalt, nickel, or gadolinium.

18 . The soft magnetic material of claim 17 , wherein the soft magnetic elemental metal or alloy further comprises aluminum.

19 . The soft magnetic material of claim 16 , wherein the electrically insulating material comprises one or more crystalline phases of oxides, nitrides, or oxynitrides.

20 . The soft magnetic material of claim 16 , wherein the shell is uniform and substantially continuous around the soft magnetic core.

21 . The soft magnetic material of claim 16 , wherein the shell is devoid of iron oxides.

22 . A reactor, comprising:
a cylindrical portion configured to be heated and comprising an inner wall and rotatable about an axis extending longitudinally through the cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion having a first open end and a second opposing open end and having at least one vane extending from the inner wall; a first narrow portion attached to the first open end; and a second narrow portion attached to the second opposing open end.

23 . The reactor of claim 22 , wherein the first narrow portion comprises an inlet configured to receive at least one gas, and wherein the second narrow portion comprises an outlet configured to exhaust the gases.

24 . The reactor of claim 22 , wherein the cylindrical portion comprises at least one of quartz, aluminum oxide, a nickel-based super alloy, or a Cobalt-based super alloy.

25 . A method of producing a soft magnetic composite material, the method comprising:
providing a powder comprising at least one of iron, cobalt, nickel, aluminum, silicon, or gadolinium; forming shells on particles of the powder, the shells comprising an oxide, a nitride, or an oxynitride to form particles of a soft magnetic material having a core-shell structure; and forming a solid soft magnetic composite material using the particles of the soft magnetic material having the core-shell structure.

26 . The method of claim 25 , further comprising heat treating the soft magnetic material.

27 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the heat treating comprises heating to a specific temperature and maintaining the temperature for a predetermined time.

28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein the predetermined time is 200 minutes to 800 minutes.

29 . The method of claim 27 , wherein the heat treating is carried out under an inert atmosphere or vacuum.

30 . The method of claim 25 , wherein forming the solid soft magnetic composite material using the particles of the soft magnetic material having the core-shell structure comprises spray-forming the particles.

31 . The method of claim 25 , wherein forming the solid soft magnetic composite material using the particles of the soft magnetic material having the core-shell structure comprises a process selected from compaction, sintering, spark-plasma sintering, flash-sintering, hot-isostatic pressing, cladding, and laser cladding.

32 . The method of claim 30 , wherein spray-forming the particles comprises a process selected from one or more of high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) processing, high-velocity air-fuel (HVAF) processing, hybrid HVOF-HVAF processes, atmospheric and vacuum plasma spray (APS/VPS), cold spray, and arc spray.

33 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the shells remain intact during the forming of the solid soft magnetic composite material.

34 . The method of claim 25 , further comprising partially melting the shells prior to forming a solid soft magnetic composite material.

35 . A method of producing a soft magnetic composite material, the method comprising:
providing a powder comprising at least one of iron, cobalt, nickel

Assignees

• Persimmon Tech Corporation

Inventors

• Gupta Ankur
• Guralnick Brett
• Krishnasamy Jayaraman

Classifications

• B22F1/16

  Metallic particles coated with a non-metal (coated with lubricating or binding agents or with organic material B22F1/10) · CPC title

• B22F1/065

  Spherical particles · CPC title

• Y02P10/25

  Process efficiency · CPC title

• H01F1/33

  mixtures of metallic and non-metallic particles; metallic particles having oxide skin · CPC title

• H01F41/0246

  Manufacturing of magnetic circuits by moulding or by pressing powder (magnetic cores made by moulding or by pressing powder H01F27/255; soft magnetic particles H01F1/20, H01F1/36) · CPC title