Method of capturing or trapping zinc using zinc getter materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9700829-B1
Application number	US-201615056699-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 29, 2016
Priority date	Feb 29, 2016
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A method of trapping or capturing zinc is disclosed. In particular, the method comprises a step of contacting a zinc vapor with a zinc getter material. The zinc getter material comprises nanoparticles and a metal substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of capturing or trapping zinc, the method comprising
contacting a zinc vapor with a zinc getter material comprising nanoparticles and a metal substrate.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the zinc vapor comprises a zinc radioisotope.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the zinc vapor comprises zinc-65.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise cobalt, gold, or a combination thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise cobalt and gold.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles have a core-shell configuration.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise a metal alloy.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metal substrate comprises copper, tin, chromium, or a combination thereof.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metal substrate comprises copper, a bronze, or a stainless steel.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles form discrete particles on the metal substrate.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles cover from 5% to 90% of the surface area of the metal substrate.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein before the contacting step, the nanoparticles have an average particle size of from 5 nm to 500 nm.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein before the contacting step, the nanoparticles having a multimodal size distribution.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the nanoparticles have a first size distribution having an average size of from 2 nm to 50 nm and a second size distribution having an average size of from greater than 50 nm to 150 nm.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after the contacting step, the nanoparticles have a multimodal size distribution.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the nanoparticles have a first size distribution having an average size of from 2 nm to 75 nm and a second size distribution having an average size of from greater than 50 nm to 175 nm.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein after the contacting step, the nanoparticles of the first size distribution increase in size by from 5% to 100%.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after the contacting step, at least some of the nanoparticles containing zinc have a size of from 250 nm to 700 nm.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise gold and wherein after the contacting step, the weight ratio of zinc to gold is from 0.01 to 5.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise cobalt and wherein after the contacting step, the weight ratio of zinc to cobalt is from 0.5 to 80.

21. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after the contacting step, an X-ray diffraction pattern indicates Au peaks at a diffraction angle (2θ) of 21° and 221°.

22. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles are formed by nucleation on the metal substrate.

23. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the zinc vapor is extracted from a tritium-producing burnable absorber rod.

Assignees

• Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Llc

Inventors

• Hunyadi Murph Simona E
• Korinko Paul S

Classifications

• B01D2257/60

  Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds · CPC title

• B01D2253/1122

  Metals · CPC title

• B01D2253/304

  Linear dimensions, e.g. particle shape, diameter · CPC title

• B01D53/04 Primary

  with stationary adsorbents {(B01D53/025 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B01J20/28016 Primary

  Particle form · CPC title