Apparatus for making nanoparticles and nanoparticle suspensions
AssigneeHRL Laboratories, LLC
InventorsRandall C. Schubert, Tobias A. Schaedler, John H. Martin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wire explosion assembly configured to form nanoparticles by exploding at least a segment of an electrically conductive wire. The wire explosion assembly includes a spool supporting the electrically conductive wire, a vessel defining a wire explosion chamber, means in the wire explosion chamber for pulling the electrically conductive wire off of the spool and applying tension on the segment of the electrically conductive wire, and a power source for delivering an electrical current to the segment of the electrically conductive wire. The electrical current is configured to explode the segment of the electrically conductive wire into the nanoparticles.
Claims20
A wire explosion assembly configured to form nanoparticles by exploding at least a segment of an electrically conductive wire, the wire explosion assembly comprising:
- a spool supporting the electrically conductive wire;
- a vessel defining a wire explosion chamber;
- means in the wire explosion chamber for pulling the electrically conductive wire off of the spool and applying tension on the segment of the electrically conductive wire;
- and
- a power source for delivering an electrical current to the segment of the electrically conductive wire, the electrical current configured to explode the segment of the electrically conductive wire into the nanoparticles.
A system configured to form a nanoparticle suspension, the system comprising:
- a wire explosion assembly configured to form nanoparticles by exploding at least a segment of an electrically conductive wire, the wire explosion assembly comprising:
- a spool supporting the electrically conductive wire;
- a vessel defining a wire explosion chamber;
- means in the wire explosion chamber for pulling the electrically conductive wire off of the spool and applying tension on the segment of the electrically conductive wire;
- and
- a power source for delivering an electrical current to the segment of the electrically conductive wire, the electrical current configured to explode the segment of the electrically conductive wire into the nanoparticles;
- a gas flow system configured to introduce a first processing gas into the wire explosion chamber.
A method of forming nanoparticles, comprising:
- pulling a segment of an electrically conductive wire into a wire explosion chamber;
- applying a substantially constant tension to the segment of the electrically conductive wire;
- and
- delivering an electrical current to the segment of the electrically conductive wire while applying the substantially constant tension to the segment of the electrically conductive wire to form the nanoparticles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.