Methods for making a ceramic reinforced metal composite for hermetic bodies for implantable devices

A method for manufacturing a feedthrough, comprising the steps of:

• a) forming a ceramic reinforced metal composite (CRMC), comprising the steps of:
• i) mixing metal-containing particles and ceramic particles to form a mixed particles powder;
• ii) heating the mixed particles powder to a temperature that ranges from about 350° C. to <1,000° C. to soften the metal of the metal-containing particles without causing the ceramic particles to undergo a phase change and without sintering the ceramic particles so that the metal of the metal-containing particles flows over and coalesces with the ceramic particles to form metal-ceramic composite particles;
• iii) attriting or sieving the metal-ceramic composite particles to form a metal-ceramic composite particle powder ranging in size from ≥1 nanometer to ≤45 microns;
• and
• iv) mixing the metal-ceramic composite particle powder with a solvent to form a metal-ceramic composite particle flowable medium;
• b) forming a green-state ceramic body, comprising the steps of:
• i) forming a ceramic body in a green state, the green-state ceramic body having a ceramic body first side opposite a ceramic body second side;
• ii) forming at least a first via hole extending through the green-state ceramic body to the first and second sides;
• iii) filling the first via hole in the green-state ceramic body with the metal-ceramic composite particle flowable medium extending to a metal-ceramic composite particle flowable medium first end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body first side and a metal-ceramic composite particle flowable medium second end residing at or adjacent to the ceramic body second side;
• iv) drying the green-state ceramic body including the metal-ceramic composite particle flowable medium in the first via hole to thereby form a dried metal-ceramic composite material filling the first via hole in the ceramic body;
• and
• v) sintering the green-state ceramic body including the dried metal-ceramic composite material in the first via hole to thereby transform the green-state ceramic body into a sintered ceramic body and to transform the dried metal-ceramic composite material into a hermetically sealed electrically conductive ceramic reinforced metal composite (CRMC) pathway extending to or adjacent to the ceramic body first and second sides in the first via hole;
• and
• c) providing an electrically conductive ferrule comprising a ferrule opening;
• and
• d) hermetically sealing the sintered ceramic body comprising the electrically conductive CRMC pathway to the ferrule in the ferrule opening.

A method, comprising the steps of:

• a) mixing platinum-containing particles and alumina particles to form a mixed platinum-containing and alumina particles powder;
• b) heating the mixed platinum-containing and alumina particles powder to a temperature that ranges from about 350° C. to about 900° C. to soften the platinum without causing the alumina to undergo a phase change and without sintering the alumina so that the platinum of the platinum-containing particles flows over and coalesces with the alumina to form platinum-containing-alumina composite particles;
• and
• c) subjecting the platinum-containing-alumina composite particles to a reduction treatment in a nitrogen and hydrogen gas mixture at a temperature that ranges from about 200° C. to about 700° C.

A method, comprising the steps of:

• a) mixing platinum-containing particles and alumina particles to form a mixed platinum-containing and alumina particles powder;
• b) heating the mixed platinum-containing and alumina particles powder to a temperature that ranges from about 350° C. to about 900° C. to soften the platinum without causing the alumina to undergo a phase change and without sintering the alumina so that the platinum of the platinum-containing particles flows over and coalesces with the alumina to form platinum-containing-alumina composite particles;
• and
• c) mixing the platinum-containing-alumina composite particles with a solvent to form a platinum-containing-alumina composite particles flowable medium selected from one of:
• i) an ink having a platinum-containing-alumina composite particles volume loading ranging from about 1 volume % to about 40 volume & and a viscosity ranging from about 0.1 cP to about 50,000 cP;
• ii) a paste having a platinum-containing-alumina composite particles volume loading ranging from about 20 volume % to about 90 volume % and a viscosity ranging from about 1×105 cP to about 1 ×1010 cP;
• and
• iii) a gel having a platinum-containing-alumina composite particles volume loading ranging from about 40 volume % to about 80 volume & and a viscosity ranging from about 10,000 cP to about 500,000 cP.