Graphene composite hand-held and hand-heated thawing tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9833913-B2
Application number	US-201213694722-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2012
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

The present invention provides a hand-held and hand-heated thawing tool comprising a handling portion and a functional portion wherein one or both portions comprises a composite material comprising 1-90% by weight of a conductivity-enhancing graphene phase dispersed in or bonded by a matrix material of 10-99% by weight based on a total composite weight, and wherein the handling portion, when being held by a human hand, transfers heat from the hand to the functional portion for thawing or melting a food item, such as butter and ice cube. By holding such a tool, a person can use his or her own body heat to rapidly thaw a slice of butter, or melt and cut through a block of ice without the assistance of any other heating tool (e.g. an oven).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A piece of hand-held thawing tableware comprising a handling portion and a functional portion wherein one or both portions comprises a composite material comprising 1-90% by weight of a conductivity-enhancing graphene phase dispersed in or bonded by a matrix material of 10-99% by weight based on a total composite weight, wherein said graphene phase has a platelet morphology and has a thermal conductivity from 1,000 W/mK to 1,800 W/mK and contains a graphene material selected from platelets or sheets of pristine graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, doped graphene, nitrogenated graphene, hydrogenated graphene, halogenated graphene, CVD graphene, functionalized graphene, or a layer of unitary graphene or graphene single crystal, or a combination thereof and wherein said matrix material is selected from a metal, a polymer, a carbon, or a combination thereof, wherein said handling portion, adapted to transfer heat when held, transfers heat to said functional portion for thawing or melting an object.

2. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said composite material has a thermal conductivity greater than 300 W/mK.

3. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said composite material has a thermal conductivity greater than 500 W/mK.

4. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said composite material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1,000 W/mK.

5. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said matrix material comprises steel, aluminum, copper, zinc, or tin.

6. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said functional portion is configured to reach a temperature of at least 30° C. when said handling portion is held, by a human hand for 10 seconds or less.

7. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said functional portion is configured to reach a temperature of at least 34° C. when said handling portion is held by a human hand for 10 seconds or less.

8. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said functional portion is configured to reach a temperature sufficient to thaw said object when said handling portion is held by a human hand for 10 seconds or less.

9. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said functional portion is configured to reach a temperature sufficient to thaw said object when said handling portion is held by a human hand for 5 seconds or less.

10. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said composite material has a skin zone and a core zone and said skin zone is a graphene-rich zone having a higher graphene proportion than said core zone.

11. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said composite material has a skin zone and a core zone and said skin zone is a graphene-poor zone having a lower graphene proportion than said core zone.

12. The piece of hand-held thawing tableware of claim 1 , wherein said composite material further comprises a thermally conductive additive selected from a graphite particle, expanded graphite flake, flexible graphite sheet, pyrolytic graphite, carbon black, acetylene black, activated carbon, meso-phase carbon, needle coke, carbon fiber, graphite fiber, carbon nano-fiber, graphitic nano-fiber, carbon nano-tube, metal particles, metal fiber, metal nano-wire, or a combination thereof.

13. A piece of hand-held thawing tableware comprising a handling portion and a functional portion wherein one or both portions comprises a composite material comprising 1-90% by weight of a conductivity-enhancing graphene phase dispersed in or bonded by a matrix material of 10-99% by weight based on a total composite weight, wherein said graphene phase has a platelet morphology and has a thermal conductivity from 1,000 W/mK to 1,800 W/mK and is selected from platelets or sheets of pristine graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, doped graphene, nitrogenated graphene, hydrogenated graphene, halogenated graphene, CVD graphene, functionalized graphene, or a layer of unitary graphene or graphene single crystal, or a combination thereof and wherein said matrix material is selected from a glass material and a ceramic material, wherein said handling portion, adapted to transfer heat when held, transfers heat to said functional portion for thawing or melting an object.

Assignees

• Nanotek Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Jang Bor Z
• Zhamu Aruna

Classifications

• F28F21/02

  of carbon, e.g. graphite · CPC title

• B26B3/02 Primary

  Table-knives (B26B9/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47G21/00

  Table-ware (crumb trays A47L13/52; table knives B26B) · CPC title