Systems and methods for synthesis of spheroidized metal powders
Assignee6K Inc.
InventorsSunil Bhalchandra Badwe, Scott Joseph Turchetti, Sudip Bhattacharya, Makhlouf Redjdal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems and method for processing feedstock materials using microwave plasma processing. Specifically, the feedstock materials disclosed herein pertain to metal powders. Microwave plasma processing can be used to spheroidize the metal powders and form metal nitride or metal carbide powders. The stoichiometry of the metal nitride or metal carbide powders can be controlled by changing the composition of the plasma gas and the residence time of the feedstock materials during plasma processing.
Claims9
A method for manufacturing a spheroidized powder, the method comprising:
- providing a feedstock to a microwave plasma torch, the feedstock comprising titanium powder;
- introducing the feedstock into a microwave plasma generated by the microwave plasma torch, the microwave plasma generated by subjecting a reactive plasma gas to microwaves from a microwave power source, the reactive plasma gas comprising at least nitrogen-containing gas;
- and
- forming the spheroidized powder, the spheroidized powder formed by at least partially melting the feedstock and initiating a chemical reaction between the feedstock and the reactive plasma gas within the microwave plasma torch, and the spheroidized powder comprising one or more particles, the one or more particles comprising titanium nitride throughout a complete mass of the one or more particles,
- wherein the one or more particles comprise a pre-determined concentration of nitrogen to form a TiN, Ti2N, or TiN2 phase within the one or more particles by controlling an amount of the nitrogen-containing gas and a residence time of the feedstock in the reactive plasma gas.
A method for manufacturing a spheroidized metal nitride powder, the method comprising:
- providing a metal powder as a feedstock to a microwave plasma torch;
- introducing the feedstock into a microwave plasma generated by the microwave plasma torch, the microwave plasma generated by subjecting a nitrogen-containing gas to microwaves from a microwave power source;
- and
- forming the spheroidized metal nitride powder, the spheroidized metal nitride powder formed by at least partially melting the feedstock and initiating a chemical reaction between the feedstock and the nitrogen-containing gas within the microwave plasma torch, and the spheroidized metal nitride powder comprising one or more particles, the one or more particles comprising metal nitride throughout a complete mass of the one or more particles,
- wherein the one or more particles comprise a pre-determined concentration of nitrogen to form a TiN, Ti2N, or TiN2 phase within the one or more particles by controlling an amount of the nitrogen-containing gas and a residence time of the feedstock in the reactive plasma gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.