Mechano-chemical de-mixing of metal alloys and mixed materials
AssigneeIowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorsMartin M. Thuo, Jacob Sporrer, Christophe Frankiewicz
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Abstract
A physical and chemical method is provided for de-mixing (e.g. extracting, separating, purifying and/or enriching) the metal constituents of an alloy or mixed material into different droplet or solid particle products that are highly enriched in the respective phases of the metal. The method involves for instance but is not limited to, shearing, separating and segregating metallic droplets and particles in a carrier fluid to form other droplets or particles that are each separately highly enriched in one of some, if not of all, of the constituent phases of the alloy or mixed material.
Claims22
A method for de-mixing constituents of a mixed material, the method comprising:
- applying mechanical stress to particulates of the mixed material, wherein the mixed material comprises a first metal and a second material, wherein the mechanical stress is applied under conditions to achieve de-mixing of at least one of the constituents of the mixed material to form a first particle product that is enriched in the first metal relative to the mixed material and a second particle product different than the first particle product and that is enriched in the second material relative to the mixed material.
A physical-chemical method to de-mix constituents of a mixed material, the method comprising:
- applying at least one of mechanical stress, thermal stress, and chemical stress to particulates of the mixed material, wherein the mixed material comprises a first metal and a second material, wherein the mechanical stress, thermal stress, or chemical stress is applied under conditions to de-mix at least one of the constituents of the mixed material to form a first particle product that is enriched in the first metal relative to the mixed material and a second particle product different than the first particle product and that is enriched in the second material relative to the mixed material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.