Spherical nanoparticle hydrides, and methods for making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9994445-B2
Application number	US-201615209943-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2016
Priority date	Jul 15, 2015
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

This invention describes spherical nanoparticle hydrides and a method for making them. A method of producing spherical nanoparticle hydrides comprises obtaining an electrically conductive or semiconductive wire fabricated from a base material capable of forming a hydride; exposing the wire to a hydrogen-containing processing gas under pressure; vaporizing the wire by electrical discharge, to generate a vapor phase; and reacting with hydrogen and condensing the vapor phase, generating a plurality of spherical nanoparticle hydrides. A composition of spherical nanoparticles is also provided, wherein each of the nanoparticles contains a base material that is electrically conductive or semiconductive and capable of forming a hydride, and hydrogen that is chemically or physically bonded with the base material, wherein the nanoparticles are characterized by a number-average particle diameter from 1 nanometer to 1000 nanometers, and wherein the nanoparticles are characterized by an average hydrogen content from 10 atom % to 85 atom %.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A composition comprising a plurality of solid spherical nanoparticles, wherein each of said solid spherical nanoparticles contains:
(i) a base material comprising an element, alloy, or compound, wherein said element, alloy, or compound is capable of forming a hydride, and wherein said base material is electrically conductive or semiconductive; and
(ii) hydrogen that is chemically or physically bonded with said base material,
wherein said solid spherical nanoparticles are characterized by a number-average particle diameter from about 1 nanometer to about 1000 nanometers, and
wherein said solid spherical nanoparticles are characterized by an average hydrogen content from about 10 atom % to about 85 atom %.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said number-average particle diameter is from about 1 nanometer to about 100 nanometers.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said number-average particle diameter is from about 1 nanometer to about 10 nanometers.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said base material comprises at least one element selected from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, or rare earth metals.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said base material consists of a single element.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said base material comprises an alloy of two or more metals.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said solid spherical nanoparticles are characterized by an average hydrogen content from about 25 atom % to about 75 atom %.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said solid spherical nanoparticles are characterized by an average hydrogen content from about 50 atom % to about 70 atom %.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said base material comprises zirconium, wherein said solid spherical nanoparticles contain, on average, at least 50 atom % hydrogen that is chemically bonded with said zirconium as ZrH 2 and ZrH 1.5 .

10. A zirconium hydride composition comprising a plurality of solid spherical nanoparticles that are characterized by a number-average particle diameter from about 1 nanometer to about 1000 nanometers, wherein said solid spherical nanoparticles include zirconium hydride solid spherical nanoparticles and optionally zirconium solid spherical nanoparticles, and wherein said solid spherical nanoparticles contain, on average, at least 50 atom % hydrogen that is chemically bonded with said zirconium as ZrH x (x is about 1.5 to 2).

11. A method of producing solid spherical nanoparticle hydrides, said method comprising:
(a) obtaining an electrically conductive or semiconductive wire fabricated from a base material comprising an element, alloy, or compound, wherein said element, alloy, or compound is capable of forming a hydride;
(b) obtaining a processing gas containing from about 0.1 wt % to 100 wt % hydrogen;
(c) exposing said wire to said processing gas under a total pressure from about 1 bar to about 15 bar;
(d) vaporizing said wire by discharge of electrical current through said wire, to generate a vapor phase of said base material; and
(e) simultaneously reacting said vapor phase with hydrogen and condensing said vapor phase, thereby generating a plurality of solid spherical nanoparticle hydrides,
wherein said solid spherical nanoparticle hydrides are characterized by an average particle diameter from about 1 nanometer to about 1000 nanometers and an average hydrogen content from about 10 atom % to about 85 atom %.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said processing gas contains at least 10 wt % hydrogen.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein said processing gas contains less than 100 wt % hydrogen, and wherein said processing gas further contains a carrier gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein said wire has a wire diameter of about 0.01 millimeter to about 3 millimeters.

15. The method of claim 11 , where said wire is disposed electrically with a capacitor bank having a rated voltage from about 1 kV to about 1000 kV.

16. The method of claim 14 , where said capacitor bank has a capacitance of about 0.001 microfarad to about 100 farad.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein said discharge vaporizes said wire within about 1 nanosecond to about 100 microseconds after said electrical current is supplied.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein said base material includes a hydride.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein said method continuously produces said solid spherical nanoparticle hydrides.

20. The method of claim 11 , said method further comprising collecting said solid spherical nanoparticle hydrides as a dry powder or a suspension of said solid spherical nanoparticle hydrides.

Assignees

• Hrl Lab Llc

Inventors

• Martin John H
• Schaedler Tobias A
• Yahata Brennan

Classifications

• C01B6/02

  Hydrides of transition elements; Addition complexes thereof · CPC title

• C01B3/0084 Primary

  Solid storage media characterised by their shape, e.g. porous compacts or hollow particles · CPC title

• Y02E60/324

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02E60/32

  Hydrogen storage · CPC title