Metal and fusible metal alloy particles and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024066595-A1
Application number	US-202217823706-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 31, 2022
Priority date	Aug 31, 2022
Publication date	Feb 29, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for producing metal or metal alloy particles may include: mixing a mixture comprising: (a) a metal or a metal alloy, (b) a carrier fluid, and optionally (c) an emulsion stabilizer at a temperature at or greater than a melting point of the metal or the metal alloy to create a dispersion of molten droplets of the metal or the metal alloy dispersed in the carrier fluid; cooling the mixture to below the melting point of the metal or the metal alloy to form metal or metal alloy particles; and separating the metal or metal alloy particles from the carrier fluid, wherein the metal or metal alloy particles comprise the metal or the metal alloy and the emulsion stabilizer, if included.

First claim

1 . A method comprising:
providing a mixture comprising: (a) a metal or a metal alloy, (b) a carrier fluid, and optionally (c) an emulsion stabilizer at a temperature at or greater than a melting point of the metal or the metal alloy; shearing the mixture to create a dispersion of molten droplets of the metal or the metal alloy dispersed in the carrier fluid; cooling the dispersion to below the melting point of the metal or the metal alloy to form metal or metal alloy particles from the molten droplets; and separating the metal or metal alloy particles from the carrier fluid.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal is present and has a melting point of about 350° C. or less.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal alloy is present and comprises one or more of tin, antimony, copper, bismuth, zinc, or silver.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or the metal alloy is present in the mixture in an amount of about 5 wt % to about 75 wt % of the mixture.

5 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
combining (i) the carrier fluid at a temperature within about 30° C. of the melting point of the metal or the metal alloy and (ii) the metal or the metal alloy at a temperature within about 10° C. of the melting point of the metal or the metal alloy.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion stabilizer is present in the mixture, and the emulsion stabilizer covers at least a portion of a surface of the metal or metal alloy particles.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the emulsion stabilizer comprises a nanoparticle emulsion stabilizer.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or metal alloy particles have a circularity of about 0.90 to about 1.0.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or metal alloy particles have an angle of repose of about 25° to about 45°.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or metal alloy particles have a Hausner ratio of about 1.0 to about 1.5.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or metal alloy particles have a D10 of about 0.1 μm to about 125 μm, a D50 of about 0.5 μm to about 200 μm, and a D90 of about 3 μm to about 300 μm, wherein D10<D50<D90.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or metal alloy particles have a diameter span of about 0.2 to about 10.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or metal alloy particles have a BET surface area of about 10 m 2 /g to about 500 m 2 /g.

14 .- 20 . (canceled)

21 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier fluid is polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

22 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier fluid is selected from the group consisting of silicone oil, a fluorinated silicone oil, a perfluorinated silicone oil, a polyethylene glycol, an alkyl-terminal polyethylene glycol, a paraffin, a liquid petroleum jelly, a vison oil, a turtle oil, a soya bean oil, a perhydrosqualene, a sweet almond oil, a calophyllum oil, a palm oil, a parleam oil, a grapeseed oil, a sesame oil, a maize oil, a rapeseed oil, a sunflower oil, a cottonseed oil, an apricot oil, a castor oil, an avocado oil, a jojoba oil, an olive oil, a cereal germ oil, an ester of lanolic acid, an ester of oleic acid, an ester of lauric acid, an ester of stearic acid, a fatty ester, a fatty acid, a fatty alcohol, a polysiloxane modified with fatty acids, a polysiloxane modified with fatty alcohols, a polysiloxane modified with polyoxyalkylenes, and any combination thereof.

23 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or metal alloy particles have a D10 of about 5 μm to about 30 μm, a D50 of about 30 μm to about 70 μm, and a D90 of about 70 μm to about 120 μm, wherein D10<D50<D90.

24 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or metal alloy particles have a D10 of about 25 μm to about 60 μm, a D50 of about 60 μm to about 110 μm, and a D90 of about 110 μm to about 175 μm, wherein D10<D50<D90.

25 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or metal alloy particles have a D10 of about 75 μm to about 125 μm, a D50 of about 100 μm to about 200 μm, and a D90 of about 125 μm to about 300 μm, wherein D10<D50<D90.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Knapik Benjamin
• Hawkins Michael S
• Lawton David
• Nosella Kimberly D

Classifications

• B22F9/16 Primary

  using chemical processes · CPC title

• 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

• B22F1/052 Primary

  characterised by a mixture of particles of different sizes or by the particle size distribution · CPC title

• B22F9/24

  starting from liquid metal compounds, e.g. solutions · CPC title