Allotrope-specific anionic element reagent complexes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9738536-B2
Application number	US-201615176303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2016
Priority date	Oct 4, 2013
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

An allotrope-specific reagent includes a hydride molecule in complex with a specified elemental allotrope. The elemental allotrope included in the complex substantially retains a specified allotropic structure of the bulk element. For example, the reagent can contain a specified allotrope of carbon, such as amorphous carbon, diamond, or graphite. The allotrope-specific reagent can be useful for the synthesis of allotropic nanoparticles. A method for synthesizing the allotrope-specific reagent includes a step of ball-milling a mixture that includes a bulk hydride molecule, such as lithium borohydride powder, and a powder of a specified elemental allotrope.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An allotrope-specific reagent comprising a complex according to a formula:
Q 0 .X y ,

wherein Q 0 consists essentially of a single allotrope of an element, selected from among a plurality of available allotropes of the element, the element formally in oxidation-state zero;
wherein X is a hydride molecule; and wherein y is an integral or fractional value greater than zero.

2. The reagent complex as recited in claim 1 , wherein Q 0 is a specified allotrope of a metal.

3. The reagent complex as recited in claim 1 , wherein Q 0 is a specified allotrope of a metalloid.

4. The reagent complex as recited in claim 1 , wherein Q 0 is a specified allotrope of a non-metal.

5. The reagent complex as recited in claim 4 , wherein Q 0 is a specified allotrope of carbon.

6. The reagent complex as recited in claim 5 , wherein Q 0 is amorphous carbon.

7. The reagent complex as recited in claim 5 , wherein Q 0 is diamond.

8. The reagent complex as recited in claim 5 , wherein Q 0 is graphite.

9. The reagent complex of claim 1 , wherein the hydride molecule comprises lithium borohydride.

10. A method for synthesizing an allotrope-specific reagent, the method comprising:
ball-milling a mixture that includes:
a powder of an elemental allotrope, the elemental allotrope consisting essentially of a single allotrope of an element, selected from a plurality of available allotropes of the element; and
a hydride molecule in bulk form, present at a molar ratio relative to the powder of the elemental allotrope;

wherein ball-milling produces a complex according to a formula:
Q 0 .X y ,

wherein Q 0 is the elemental allotrope, X is the hydride molecule, and y expresses the molar ratio as an integral or fractional value greater than zero.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the powder is a powder of a metal allotrope.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the powder is a powder of a metalloid allotrope.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the powder is a powder of a non-metal allotrope.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the powder is a powder of a carbon allotrope.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the powder is amorphous carbon powder.

16. The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the powder is diamond powder.

17. The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the powder is graphite powder.

18. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the hydride molecule comprises lithium borohydride.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Eng & Mfg North America Inc
• The Univ Of Manitoba
• Univeristy Of Manitoba

Inventors

• Rowe Michael Paul
• Skoropata Elizabeth Marie
• Van Lierop Johan Alexander

Classifications

• C01B6/21

  Preparation of borohydrides of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, magnesium or beryllium; Addition complexes thereof, e.g. LiBH4.2N2H4, NaB2H7 · CPC title

• H01F3/00

  Cores, Yokes, or armatures (magnetic materials H01F1/00; permanent magnets H01F7/02) · CPC title

• C01B32/21

  After-treatment · CPC title

• C01B35/02 Primary

  Boron; Borides · CPC title

• H01F1/0311

  Compounds (H01F1/0304 takes precedence) · CPC title