Electrolytic atomic hydrogen decrepitation of rare-earth-containing materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024368790-A1
Application number	US-202218686465-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 31, 2022
Priority date	Aug 31, 2021
Publication date	Nov 7, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided herein is an apparatus for electrolytic atomic hydrogen decrepitation and methods of use thereof.

First claim

1 . An electrolysis apparatus for atomic hydrogen decrepitation of at least one rare-earth-containing material, the apparatus comprising:
a cathode wherein said at least one rare-earth-containing material is the cathode; an anode; an electrolyte; and wherein said electrolysis apparatus is configured to carry out an electrolytic reaction to decrepitate said at least one rare-earth-containing material.

2 . The electrolysis apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one rare-earth-containing material comprises any of the following elements selected from: cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), scandium (Sc), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb) and yttrium (Y).

3 . The electrolysis apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one rare-earth containing material comprises a ferromagnetic alloy or rare-earth magnet.

4 . The electrolysis apparatus of any one of claim 1 wherein said rare-earth material is selected from a list comprising: Nd 2 Fe 14 B, SmCO 5 , Sm(Co,Fe,Cu,Zr) 7 , Sr-ferrite, iron bar-magnets or combinations thereof.

5 . The electrolysis apparatus of any one of claim 1 wherein said cathode further comprises copper, nickel, steel, titanium, rare-earth containing material or any combination thereof.

6 . The electrolysis apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional cathode.

7 . The electrolysis apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrolyte is a KOH or NaOH aqueous solution.

8 . The electrolysis apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cathode further comprises at least one grid adapted to allow decrepitated fragments to pass through it.

9 . The electrolysis apparatus of claim 8 wherein said at least one grid has holes with a size ranging from 1 to 100 μm in diameter.

10 . The electrolysis apparatus of claim 8 wherein said at least one grid is comprised of copper, nickel, steel, titanium, ferromagnetic alloy or any combination thereof

11 . A method for electrolytic atomic hydrogen decrepitation of at least one rare-earth-containing material, the method comprising:
providing the electrolysis apparatus of claim 1 , configured to carry out an electrolytic reaction in an electrolyte; and carrying out said electrolytic reaction by providing an applied potential between said anode and said cathode, producing atomic hydrogen at said cathode.

12 . A method for electrolytic atomic hydrogen decrepitation of at least one rare-earth-containing material, the method comprising:
providing an electrolysis apparatus comprising an anode, cathode and electrolyte, configured to carry out an electrolytic reaction to decrepitate said at least one rare-earth-containing material; disposing said at least one rare-earth-containing material onto said cathode; and carrying out said electrolytic reaction by providing an applied potential between said anode and said cathode, producing atomic hydrogen at said cathode.

13 . The method of claim 12 wherein said cathode comprises copper, nickel, steel, titanium, rare-earth containing material or any combination thereof.

14 - 15 . (canceled)

16 . The method of claim 12 wherein said applied potential is between 4 to 10V.

17 . The method of claim 12 wherein atomic hydrogen is released from said cathode by a reduction reaction of 2 H + (aq)+2e − →2H(g).

18 . The method of claim 12 wherein the H+ is a result of electrolysis of the water (H 2 O) within the cell.

19 . The method of claim 12 wherein said electrolyte comprises KOH or NaOH aqueous solution.

20 . The method of claim 12 wherein said cathode further comprises at least one grid adapted to allow decrepitated fragments through it.

21 . The method of claim 20 wherein said at least one grid is comprised of copper, nickel, steel, titanium, ferromagnetic alloy or any combination thereof.

22 . The method of claim 12 wherein said applied potential is between 4 to 10V.

Assignees

• Yeda Res & Dev

Inventors

• Lubomirsky Igor
• Kaplan Valery

Classifications

• C25B1/02

  Hydrogen or oxygen · CPC title

• C22B3/045

  Leaching using electrochemical processes · CPC title

• C22B7/006

  Wet processes · CPC title

• B22F1/05

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

• B22F8/00

  Manufacture of articles from scrap or waste metal particles · CPC title