Methods for producing metal powders
AssigneeNanoscale Powders LLC
InventorsDavid Henderson, Andrew Matheson, Richard Van Lieshout, Donald Finnerty, John W. Koenitzer
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Abstract
A method for producing a metal powder includes maintaining molten reducing metal in a sealed reaction vessel that is free of added oxygen and water, establishing a vortex in the molten reducing metal, introducing a metal halide into the vortex so that the molten reducing metal is in a stoichiometric excess to the metal halide, thereby producing metal particles and salt, removing unreacted reducing metal, removing the salt, and recovering the metal powder. The molten reducing metal can be a Group I metal, a Group II metal, or aluminum.
Claims8
A process for the phase separation of excess molten reducing metal reductant from a vortex formed mixture of a metal powder and a salt, the process comprising:
- heating a bakeout vessel containing the mixture to a temperature above the melting point of the salt in the mixture, to form a salt bath phase, which includes the metal powder, and a separate molten reducing metal phase, then separating the molten reducing metal phase from the bakeout vessel;
- wherein the molten reducing metal is selected from the group consisting of a Group I metal, a Group II metal, and aluminum;
- and
- wherein the salt is selected from the group consisting of halides of tantalum, tungsten, niobium, nickel, aluminum, zirconium, vanadium, tin, titanium, silicon, hafnium, and mixtures thereof.
A process for the phase separation of excess molten reducing metal reductant from a vortex formed mixture of a metal powder and a salt, the process comprising:
- heating a bakeout vessel containing the mixture to a temperature above the melting point of the salt in the mixture, to form a salt bath phase, which includes the metal powder, and a separate molten reducing metal phase, then separating the molten reducing metal phase from the bakeout vessel;
- wherein the molten reducing metal is selected from the group consisting of a Group I metal, a Group II metal, and aluminum;
- and
- wherein the salt is selected from the group consisting of halides of rare-earth elements and refractory metals, and mixtures thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.