# US 12,215,236 B2 · Multifunctional reactive inks, methods of use and manufacture thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,215,236 B2 - Document ID: US12215236B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/691,006 - Filed: 2022-03-09 - Published: 2022-06-23 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2013-10-08 - Assignees: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC - Applicants: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC - Inventors: Kyle Sullivan; John M. Densmore; Eric Duoss; Alexander E. Gash; Joshua Kuntz; John Vericella - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215236B2 ## CPC - C09D 11/02: Printing inks (C09D11/30 takes precedence) - B29C 64/106: using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material - B29C 64/118: using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM] - C09D 11/03: characterised by features other than the chemical nature of the binder - Y10T 428/24893: including particulate material - C09D: COATING COMPOSITIONS, e.g. PAINTS, VARNISHES OR LACQUERS; FILLING PASTES; CHEMICAL PAINT OR INK REMOVERS; INKS; CORRECTING FLUIDS; WOODSTAINS; PASTES OR SOLIDS FOR COLOURING OR PRINTING; USE OF MATERIALS THEREFOR (cosmetics A61K; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces, in general, B05D; staining wood B27K5/02; glazes or vitreous enamels C03C; natural resins, French polish, drying-oils, driers, turpentine, per se, C09F; polishing compositions other than French polish, ski waxes C09G; adhesives or use of materials as adhesives C09J; materials for sealing or packing joints or covers C09K3/10; materials for stopping leaks C09K3/12; processes for the electrolytic or electrophoretic production of coatings C25D) - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract In one embodiment, a method includes dispersing a plurality of particles in a solution to form a dispersion; and adding a stabilizing agent to the dispersion in an amount sufficient to cause the dispersion to exhibit one or more predetermined rheological properties, wherein the particles are characterized by a core-shell configuration, wherein the core-shell configuration includes a core formed from a first material and a shell formed from a second material, wherein the first material and the second material form a combustible composition and/or a reactive binary composition that is configured to complete a self-propagating reaction and/or a self-sustaining reaction upon initiation thereof. Corresponding materials, and methods of using such materials, are also disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A composition of matter, comprising: a plurality of particles in a dispersion; wherein the particles are characterized by a core-shell configuration; wherein the core-shell configuration includes a core formed from a first material and a shell formed from a second material; wherein the first material and the second material form a combustible composition and/or a reactive binary composition that is configured to complete a self-propagating reaction and/or a self-sustaining reaction upon initiation thereof; and wherein the composition of matter exhibits one or more predetermined rheological properties that include being structurally self-supporting during deposition of the composition of matter onto a substrate and prior to initiation of the self-propagating reaction and/or the self-sustaining reaction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The composition of matter as recited in claim 1, wherein the particles are characterized by an average diameter in a range from about 0.01 microns to about 100 microns. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The composition of matter as recited in claim 1, wherein the dispersion further comprises one or more stabilizing agents, and wherein the one or more stabilizing agents include one or more components selected from the group consisting of: at least one polymer, at least one surfactant, at least one acid, at least one base, at least one electrolyte and/or at least one polyelectrolyte, and at least one salt. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The composition of matter as recited in claim 1, wherein the dispersion further comprises one or more stabilizing agents, wherein the one or more stabilizing agents include at least one polymer, and wherein the at least one polymer is selected from the group consisting of: polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyacrylic acid, polyethyleneimine, and ammonium polymethacrylate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The composition of matter as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one additional component selected from the group consisting of: a humectant, a graded volatility solvent system, a brazing agent, and a gelation agent. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The composition of matter as recited in claim 1, wherein either: the first material comprises one or more constituents selected from the group consisting of: aluminum, boron, barium, beryllium, bismuth, carbon, calcium, cerium, chromium, copper, iron, germanium, hafnium, lanthanum, lithium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, niobium, palladium, plutonium, sulfur, silicon, tantalum, thorium, uranium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium, and combinations thereof, and the second material comprises one or more constituents selected from the group consisting of silver oxides, boron, boron oxides, bismuth, bismuth oxides, carbon, calcium, cerium, cobalt, cobalt oxides, chromium, chromium oxides, copper, copper oxides, iron, iron oxides, hafnium, mercury oxides, iodine oxides, potassium, lanthanum, lithium, magnesium, manganese, manganese oxides, molybdenum, molybdenum oxides, sodium, niobium, niobium oxides, nickel, nickel oxides, lead, lead oxides, palladium, palladium oxides, praseodymium, platinum, plutonium, sulfur, antimony, selenium, silicon, silicon oxides, samarium, tin, tin oxides, strontium, tantalum, tantalum oxides, tellurium, thorium, titanium, titanium oxides, uranium, uranium oxides vanadium, vanadium oxides, tungsten, tungsten oxides, yttrium, zinc, zirconium, and combinations thereof; or the first material comprises one or more constituents selected from the group consisting of: silver oxides, boron, boron oxides, bismuth, bismuth oxides, carbon, calcium, cerium, cobalt, cobalt oxides, chromium, chromium oxides, copper, copper oxides, iron, iron oxides, hafnium, mercury oxides, iodine oxides, potassium, lanthanum, lithium, magnesium, manganese, manganese oxides, molybdenum, molybdenum oxides, sodium, niobium, niobium oxides, nickel, nickel oxides, lead, lead oxides, palladium, palladium oxides, praseodymium, platinum, plutonium, sulfur, antimony, selenium, silicon, silicon oxides, samarium, tin, tin oxides, strontium, tantalum, tantalum oxides, tellurium, thorium, titanium, titanium oxides, uranium, uranium oxides vanadium, vanadium oxides, tungsten, tungsten oxides, yttrium, zinc, zirconium, and combinations thereof; and the second material comprises one or more constituents selected from the group consisting of: aluminum, boron, barium, beryllium, bismuth, carbon, calcium, cerium, chromium, copper, iron, germanium, hafnium, lanthanum, lithium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, niobium, palladium, plutonium, sulfur, silicon, tantalum, thorium, uranium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium, and combinations thereof; and wherein the first material and the second material collectively exclude combinations of: aluminum and iron oxides; aluminum and silicon oxides; aluminum and chromium oxides; aluminum and bismuth oxides; aluminum and manganese oxides; and aluminum and bismuth oxides. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A method for forming a composition of matter as recited in claim 1, the method comprising: dispersing the plurality of particles in a solution to form the dispersion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the particles comprise from about 30 vol % to about 80 vol % of the dispersion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the dispersion comprises the particles dispersed throughout a liquid metal matrix. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the particles are characterized by an average diameter in a range from about 0.01 microns to about 100 microns. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the solution comprises a stabilizing agent including one or more components selected from the group consisting of: at least one polymer, at least one surfactant, at least one acid, at least one base, at least one electrolyte and/or at least one polyelectrolyte, and at least one salt. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the solution comprises a stabilizing agent including at least one polymer, and wherein the at least one polymer is selected from the group consisting of: polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyacrylic acid, polyethyleneimine, and ammonium polymethacrylate. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising adding at least one additional component to the dispersion, wherein the at least one additional component is selected from the group consisting of: a humectant, a graded volatility solvent system, a brazing agent, and a gelation agent. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A method of utilizing the composition of matter as recited in claim 1, the method comprising: depositing the composition of matter on a substrate. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the self-propagating reaction and/or the self-sustaining reaction renders at least surface(s) of the substrate onto which the composition of matter is deposited conductive. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the self-propagating reaction and/or the self-sustaining reaction comprises a thermite reaction and/or an intermetallic reaction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising initiating the self-propagating reaction and/or the self-sustaining reaction. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the composition of matter is deposited as a first layer, the method further comprising: depositing one or more additional layers of the composition of matter above the first layer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising initiating the self-propagating reaction and/or the self-sustaining reaction in each of the one or more additional layers subsequent to depositing the one or more additional layers and prior to depositing a subsequent second one of the one or more additional layers of the composition of matter. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising: depositing one or more additional layers of the composition of matter and one or more layers of a second composition of matter to form a structure comprising alternating layers of the composition of matter and the second composition of matter, wherein the second composition of matter comprises a non-energetic material; and initiating the self-propagating reaction and/or the self-sustaining reaction in each layer of the composition of matter; wherein each self-propagating and/or self-sustaining reaction generates heat; and wherein the heat generated by each self-propagating reaction and/or each self-sustaining reaction at least partially melts at least one adjacent layer comprising the second composition of matter.